Brendon McCullum hopes to remain England head coach if he is willing to accept an ultimatum of major changes to the environment and culture of the team.
England and Wales Cricket Board officials are already conducting a review of the Ashes debacle that saw Australia claim the urn in just 11 days, ahead of their first Test win on Australian soil since January 2011 in Melbourne.
England coach Brendon McCullum (right) with captain Ben Stokes.Credit: Getty Images
London Wire understands that the ECB’s current position is that they do not want to make changes to the managerial trio of McCullum, captain Ben Stokes and director of cricket Rob Key. While the tour still has a match to complete, meaning no final decisions can be made, there doesn’t seem to be much appetite for sweeping changes to the hierarchy.
Stokes’ position in particular looks secure. However, the ECB wants significant changes to the team environment and for McCullum and Key to accept that the culture and their wider approach must become more professional and robust.
Both men have already publicly accepted that England were underprepared for the series, but it is unclear whether McCullum would take the message that the team’s approach needs to change, leaving open the possibility that he could leave in the coming months.
More of a manager and tactical guide than a hands-on technical coach, McCullum has led the England team in a very specific way over the past four years.
The backroom staff was significantly reduced, the players were trusted to make their own decisions and the pre-tour fixture schedule was slimmed down.
The exact changes the ECB would introduce are unclear, but they could try to bolster backroom staff and crack down on off-field behavior following allegations of a drinking culture among players that were most stark ahead of the Melbourne Tests, according to reports and social media footage emerging from their mid-series break in Noosa.
Leave a Reply