Brendon McCullum has stepped down as England's Test coach, accepting accountability for the team's recent run of results and off-field incidents. His departure follows a period marked by seven defeats in nine games.
McCullum stated that as the leader of the group, he was responsible for the team's cultural, tactical, and results-based performance. "If you don't get the results, being a results business, fundamentally you get replaced," McCullum said. "I'm not unaccustomed to that, I've been around this game for 20-odd years and I know if you aren't getting the results, someone else needs an opportunity."
The latter stages of McCullum's coaching tenure were reportedly affected by several off-field issues. During the winter, players including Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Josh Tongue, and Ben Duckett were involved in late-night incidents. Following England's victory in the first Test of the summer against New Zealand, the series was disrupted when captain Ben Stokes and player Gus Atkinson breached the team's midnight curfew. They were present when a security staff member was reportedly struck by a Saracens rugby player.
McCullum expressed that he and Stokes, the current Test captain, have maintained contact. "I got some nice messages from Stokesy," McCullum noted. "I guess, in a romantic kind of way there's something about Stokesy and I going out together. We started it together and we go out together, and I have no problem with that."
England's search for a new Test coach is underway, with a coaching appointment expected before a new captain is finalized. There is also a suggestion that the captaincy might be split across different formats. McCullum indicated his support for Harry Brook, currently the white-ball captain and Test vice-captain, as a potential leader.
"You know my thoughts on Harry, my affection for him as a player, person and leader," McCullum said of Brook. "He's got one of the best tactical brains I've seen in someone so relatively young. He's developing at an incredible speed as a leader. I love working with Harry and I'd love to continue to do so."
McCullum previously worked in a split-coaching arrangement, serving as Test coach for two years while Matthew Mott managed the white-ball teams. When Mott was dismissed in 2024, McCullum assumed overall control. The demands of a congested international schedule have led to discussions about splitting coaching responsibilities again.
Potential candidates for the Test coach role include former England coach Andy Flower and Stephen Fleming, McCullum's former New Zealand teammate. Jonathan Trott and Richard Dawson are also mentioned as possibilities. McCullum indicated that he would collaborate with the new Test coach to determine the best structure for all three formats of the game.
England is scheduled to begin a three-match ODI series against India at Edgbaston on Tuesday. Jos Buttler is set to play his 200th ODI for England during the series.