Brendon McCullum relishing the challenge as England Test coach
- James Richardson
- 13 May 2022
Brendon McCullum says that he didn't fancy the cushy job of England white-ball coach and is relishing the chance to rise to the challenge of directing a Test cricket revival.
Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum said on his appointment as England Test coach that he was looking forward to the challenge of getting the Three Lions back to the top.
McCullum inherits a side that have slipped to their lowest ranking in decades in Test cricket.
Chris Silverwood left the role of England coach after the Ashes humiliation and the role was split into Test and white-ball jobs.
Brendon McCullum wants to get stuck in
McCullum said he didn't fancy the white-ball job given that England are doing very well in that arena, and it seemed like a comfortable job.
"I looked at the two roles, the white-ball didn't interest me as such because the team is flying, one of the best teams in the world, they've got Eoin Morgan who is a very good friend of mine and I know has built a structure and system which will continue well after he finishes playing," McCullum told SENZ radio station.
"I wasn't really interested in a cushy kind of gig, for me if you are prepared to change your life for something then it's got to be something a bit grunty, a bit meaty, and the challenge of trying to bring a team which is rock bottom at the moment, and try and build something long term that is sustainable and successful, that is more where the challenge lay."
Say hello to our new boss! 👋@Bazmccullum | #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/T6CiX5OgE5
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 12, 2022
Make Test cricket great again
McCullum says that he jumped at the chance to make Test cricket great again by masterminding a red-ball revival.
"For me, Test cricket is on a downward trend in terms of its popularity and where it sits and while I'm lucky enough to have a career in franchise cricket and white-ball cricket, Test cricket is my real love," he said. "If anyone is going to be able to reinvigorate Test cricket and get it popular again then it's going to be England.
"If you can be at the forefront of that by playing an attractive brand of cricket, play with a smile on your face and try to entertain, then Test cricket has a chance. Once you strip that out it was like, crikey, I've got to give this a chance if they think I'm the right person."
McCullum also said that he is looking forward to working with new Test skipper Ben Stokes, joking that two Kiwis are now in charge of England.
"The way Ben Stokes plays the game is pretty similar to how I play and how I love coaching, which is to play with a bit of freedom and try and put pressure back on the opposition," he said.
