New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum was hired as England Test manager on Thursday, another bold appointment shortly after the decision was made to select all-rounder Ben Stokes as captain. Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has been appointed as the new head coach of the England Cricket Board (ECB) Test team on a four-year contract. New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum will step down as head of Indian Premier League Kolkata Knight Riders to take control of Test side England in the World Test Championship.
McCullum will be joining Ben Stokes, who was appointed as captain of England’s red ball cricket team last year. Rob Key, former English cricketer and managing director, said that Brendon McCullum will be a good fit for England’s Test Cricket team because he has an aggressive approach to the game and is adept at defining roles in the team.
McCullum is one of the most successful players in New Zealand’s cricket history. He has played in 131 test matches, scoring 14 centuries and 38 half-centuries. He has also played in 187 ODIs, scoring 11 centuries and 23 half-centuries.
Currently, he is managing Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and is set to leave his franchise job to take control over English cricket team. Former coach of India Gary Kirsten was considered the favourite, but McCullum impressed the England board with his vision and was given a new Test team coach. Initially considered more suitable for the position of white ball manager, McCullum instead took on the resurrection of an England Test team that has only one win in 17 Tests, including the Ashes 4-0 in Australia.
It is important to note that the decision to appoint Brendon McCullum as head coach of the England cricket team was made unanimously by England Cricket CEO Tom Harrison, Managing director Rob Kee and Strategy Adviser Andrew Strauss.
McCullum, who has never coached a red-ball team in his coaching career, captained New Zealand from 2013 until his retirement, captaining 31 Tests thanks to It also played a big role in the game due to his positive attitude in 2015 World Cup. Appointing McCullum to handle the Tests is a bold move by the ECB that will raise questions about the prospects of England’s domestic teams especially since the former wicketkeeper has never managed a top-notch team.