Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum is all set to take over England’s Test team job. While McCullum is a household name when it comes to catching in franchise T20 leagues, this will be the first he will take over as the national team job.
Meanwhile, the position was vacant after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) sacked Chris Silverwood after an awful outing against West Indies earlier this year. With a couple of names going around in the last few weeks, it seems like ECB has zeroed in on McCullum.
As per Cricbuzz, the ECB has already made a formal offer to McCullum, who is currently in India. Rob Key, the newly-appointed Managing Director of the men’s team, has been in touch with the 40-year-old. An official announcement is likely to be made in a couple of days.
“We have nothing to say at this stage,” an ECB spokesperson was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. “The recruitment process is ongoing. A decision is likely this week.”
The report also added that the Kiwi star has already informed the KKR management about his unavailability from next season. However, Brendon McCullum is not keen on taking the white-ball job and the ECB will have to find a suitable candidate for the limited-overs role.
Brendon McCullum’s first assignment likely to be against the Kiwi
If the deal goes through, McCullum’s first assignment will be the upcoming Test series against New Zealand next month. England led by Ben Stokes are scheduled to host the Kiwis for a three-match series at Lord’s, Nottingham and Leeds.
However, when Brendon McCullum formally takes over the charge will depend on how far Kolkata Knight Riders go in IPL 2022. The Kolkata franchise are still in the playoff race with the mega final scheduled to take place on May 29.
The KKR head coach has reportedly informed the management about his unavailability in the subsequent seasons.
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