Brendon McCullum's position as England all-format head coach is reportedly safe, despite widespread calls for him to go.
England's semi-final exit from the T20 World Cup brought their troubled winter to an end. It started in New Zealand, where not only were they hammered in the ODI series, but where it later emerged multiple players had been spoken to or worse following a Halloween night out. From there, the Australia bloodbath took over. Everything from preparation and selection, to alcohol and desire were questioned, and just weeks into the tour, McCullum's position felt unstable at best, untenable at worst.
Coming out of the Ashes, as the revelations over Harry Brook's transgressions in Wellington snowballed, and the post-mortem deepened, McCullum's own desire to continue under terms that were no longer fully his also seemed to waver.
The T20 World Cup was a chance to test the waters. England were not expected to win, but there was an opportunity for McCullum to demonstrate he was capable of change, even under some of the top-down conditions imposed onto his realm. A curfew and expanded coaching staff were the first steps of redirection.
Reaching the semi-final was par, or perhaps just above, for a team cobbled together in the weeks before the tournament. And it seems to have been enough for the ECB bosses to extend their support for his leadership. However, the full criteria for that support will have to wait until the conclusions from the Ashes review are revealed.
Reports: McCullum to continue as England head coach following Ashes review
At the start of their review process, which began before England had left Australia, it was felt that leadership figures at the ECB were resistant to sweeping changes of the kind which have previously been made in the aftermath of big Ashes defeats. McCullum consistently voiced his desire to continue as all-format head coach, but as long as he remained able to "steer the ship" after the ECB's review. "I'm open to evolution and some nipping and tucking, but without being ultimately able to steer the ship maybe there is someone better," McCullum said after the final Ashes Test.
However, most importantly McCullum retained the backing of his two captains. Following England's T20 World Cup exit last week, Brook said McCullum should "125 per cent" remain in charge. That was followed by reports that both McCullum and Rob Key are set to retain their positions for the start of England's home summer in two months. The sole personnel change in England's high-performance set-up from winter to summer will be Luke Wright, who left his position as national selector following the Ashes.
Nevertheless, it's impossible McCullum's tenure would be allowed to continue without a commitment to on and off-field change. Some of that was visible during the T20 World Cup, with an expanded backroom staff hired and an internal decision to enforce a curfew. But there is still further to go. The debacle with Brook's Wellington night out will be something ECB leadership will be keen to avoid repeats of, and it won't take much for pitchforks to re-emerge should similar on-field failings continue into the summer. That is, if those pitchforks are even away now.
Widespread calls for McCullum to go
Despite the backing of both his captains, England's second consecutive T20 World Cup semi-final exit prompted more criticism of his leadership. Speaking following the defeat, McCullum responded to repeated questions over his signature hands-off style. "I make no apologies for running an informal, positive environment but to call it a casual environment is not quite fair," said McCullum.
In his column in The Telegraph following the T20 World Cup final, former England captain Michael Vaughan laid out England's failings under McCullum. "You would have to say at this point that under the ultimate glare, McCullum’s methods have been found wanting," wrote Vaughan. "When the pressure and scrutiny have been at their hottest, and England have had to win an hour, a day or a game, they have failed."
The key question, is whether McCullum is willing to change his methods enough to deliver necessary change, without losing his own conviction. Or, perhaps, would it be easier for the ECB to replace McCullum while keeping others who have contributed to the successes of his tenure, like Ben Stokes and Rob Key, in place?
"McCullum must be held accountable for the Ashes and while ripping up the whole project is never a good idea, changing the coach is a move that will have a ripple effect but not as great as sacking everyone," wrote Telegraph chief cricket correspondent Nick Hoult. "Finding someone who shares Stokes’s view of the future is the job now."
McCullum's relationship with Stokes, which appeared to waver for the first time during the Ashes, is set to be a key criteria point in what comes next for England. Stokes' position is in little jeopardy, and McCullum will have to be the one to bend. Wisden Almanack editor Lawrence Booth pointed to how delicate the relationship between captain and head coach will make McCullum's next phase, writing for the MailOnline: "Clearly, then, tension remains, and England – or, more precisely, McCullum and Stokes – have the summer to sort it out. If not, the ECB will face the unpalatable scenario of having to appoint a new coach with only six Tests to go before they attempt to regain the Ashes at home in 2027."
For others, the reason McCullum should go is less nuanced, more about black and white missteps dating back beyond the winter. "[Jacob] Bethell’s talent was obvious as soon as he was parachuted into England’s Test team in New Zealand in late 2024," wrote Chris Stocks in The I. "That he was not backed from the start of the Ashes in Australia this winter damns McCullum."
McCullum is set to spend the next few weeks at home in New Zealand, during which the nuances of exactly what the next phase of his tenure looks like are set to be thrashed out in the final stages of the ECB's review.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
