Brendon McCullum has been appointed as the coach of England men’s Test team on Thursday, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed. He will take over charge from the upcoming series against New Zealand, starting June 2.
Incidentally, 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. England also didn’t look at their usual best as a team.
Brendon McCullum will have a task ahead of him and the former Kiwi captain is confident that he can take bring in a change in the culture as he did in the New Zealand setup. Reacting to his appointment on the official statement released by the ECB, the 40-year-old said:
“I’d like to say how pleased I am to be given this opportunity to positively contribute to England’s Test cricket set-up and move the team forward into a more successful era. In taking this role on, I am acutely aware of the significant challenges the team faces at present, and I strongly believe in my ability to help the team emerge as a stronger force once we’ve confronted them head-on.”
“I’ve enjoyed several robust conversations with Rob Key about the direction of travel for the team and have found his enthusiasm contagious. I’m no stranger to bringing about change within a team environment, and I can’t wait to get started,” McCullum added.
Brendon McCullum is due to arrive in the UK later this month. The Knight Riders have two matches left in their IPL group campaign on Saturday against Sunrisers Hyderabad and complete their season on Wednesday 18 May against Lucknow Super Giants.
Looking forward to working with Ben Stokes – Brendon McCullum
Along with the new head coach, England’s Test side will also see a new captain in all-rounder Ben Stokes. Brendon McCullum revealed that he is looking forward to working with the Durham-based all-rounder.
“Ben Stokes is the perfect character to inspire change around him, and I look forward to working closely with him to build a successful unit around us,” he concluded.
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