The England Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Tuesday that Brendon McCullum will take on the role of head coach for their men’s white-ball cricket team, expanding his current position as the head coach of the Test side, which he has held for over two years. This decision marks a shift away from the split-coaching model that England’s Managing Director of men’s cricket, Rob Key, reintroduced in 2022 after an eight-year hiatus.
McCullum’s contract has been extended through to the end of 2027, with his new responsibilities commencing in January 2025. He will take the helm of the white-ball teams beginning with England’s tour of India, which will be quickly followed by the ICC Champions Trophy.
In the interim, assistant coach Marcus Trescothick will serve as the temporary white-ball coach during England’s upcoming home series against Australia later this month and the tour of the Caribbean scheduled for October-November.
Expressing his satisfaction with the appointment, Rob Key said, “I’m thrilled that Brendon has decided to take on both roles with England. It’s a privilege to have a coach of his caliber fully commit to our cricketing future. Bringing all teams under one coaching umbrella is a particularly exciting development, and we’re eager to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.
“For the past two years, the constant overlap between formats has created difficulties for our white-ball setup, but thankfully, this will start to ease from January onwards.
“The scheduling from January will allow Brendon to focus adequately on both roles, and we believe this restructuring will help our players and coaching staff perform at their best.”
McCullum’s expanded role comes soon after the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) parted ways with Matthew Mott, who was appointed in May 2022 but had his tenure cut short midway through his four-year contract. While Mott led England to victory in the 2022 T20 World Cup, the team’s overall performance in other ICC tournaments was disappointing. A major low for England came with their result in the ODI World Cup in India last year, where they finished seventh out of 10 teams and were in danger of not qualifying for the Champions Trophy.
While England showed improvement in this year’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, where they were defeated by India in the semifinal, most of their wins came against less competitive teams. This effort was ultimately insufficient for Mott to retain his position.
The ECB also announced that McCullum will take a brief break in New Zealand following the conclusion of the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka. He is expected to return in time to lead England on their tour of Pakistan in October, followed by their tour of New Zealand in December.
