England can change the 'downward trend' of red-ball cricket, says Brendon McCullum
- Sean Fisher
- 27 May 2022
England's newly-appointed Test cricket head coach believes that his new side are capable of changing the perception of red-ball cricket around the globe.
Brendon McCullum is the man tasked with turning around England's Test cricket fortunes. With a new captain in the squad and a new director of cricket behind him, the national setup is undergoing a full rebuild after the disappointment of the Ashes over the winter.
The side have just one win in their last 17 matches, despite England's rich history and tradition in Test cricket.
Now, the former New Zealand captain is responsible for kickstarting the English Test team's revival, starting with a visit from his native New Zealand in June.
"I think for me red-ball cricket has always been the pinnacle of the sport, if you look at where the game sits currently, it's probably on a bit of a downward trend and to me the nation that can really change that is England," said McCullum.
"Because of the tradition of Test cricket here in England and I guess the fan following and the support that it gets in this country.
"For us to be competitive in Test cricket, I think will go a long way in trying to be able to hopefully just shift that a little bit in terms of the perception of red-ball cricket moving forward."
Having only coached the Trinbago Knight Riders and Kolkata Knight Riders throughout his admittedly short coaching career, McCullum was quick to embrace that his appointment comes with risk.
Yes, boss! 👏@Bazmccullum at HQ today 📸
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 27, 2022
🏴 #ENGvNZ 🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/1Vh6zrblxs
But while McCullum may have not been the most experienced candidate for the role, the 40-year-old has backed himself to succeed in the England setup.
"I'm confident in the skills that I've got and I'm confident in the group that we have to start things off as well," he said.
"Obviously it might take a little while to become completely adjusted to the methods and the ways over here and it might take some time for guys to become adjusted to me as well, but I'm looking forward to it.
"For me it was a big risk taken by everyone but, for me, you don't get anywhere unless you take risks."
McCullum's first challenge comes at Lord's next week, with the first Test between New Zealand and England starting on June 2.
