England’s white-ball sides will have Brendon McCullum at the helm when they regroup for a tour of India in the new year, as Marcus Trescothick’s caretaker tenure came to an end in the Caribbean.
Here, the PA news agency assesses what could be immediately on the agenda for McCullum when he becomes limited-overs head coach from January in addition to the same existing role he has with the Test team.
Hit the ground running
McCullum enjoyed instant success when he was named to the Test role in May 2022 after handing over the white-ball role to Matthew Mott, who was sacked in July following two World Cup disappointments.
Leading a team that had won just once in their previous 17 attempts, the Bazball era began with 10 wins in 11 Tests. McCullum could do with flying the traps again.
It’s a baptism of fire as England’s last ODI series victory in India was in January 1985. They then head to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy in February and March.
Find a balance
When the coaching roles were split two-and-a-half years ago, the successful ODI and T20 teams under Mott too often played second fiddle to McCullum in rebuilding a languishing Test team.
Without many stars of all formats to call on outside of world events, England’s form has plummeted and McCullum inherits a 50-over team that has lost 13 of its last 20 ODIs and sits seventh place in the world rankings.
But with the tight schedule eased slightly next year and McCullum taking responsibility for all English cricket, there is expected to be more crossover of talent.
A five-Test home Test series against India next summer and the Ashes in Australia to follow this winter are high on the priority list, but the Champions Trophy should not be far behind.
Bring back Ben Stokes and Joe Root
While Harry Brook, Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson could find themselves in colorful gear more often, England could benefit from the constant influences of Stokes and Root in the ODI team.
Neither has featured in Tests over the past 12 months, although Stokes, England’s hero in the 2019 World Cup final and the 2022 T20 equivalent, is ready to return to action white-ball career under McCullum.
Root was curiously rested against Australia at the end of the summer and his reputation for being able to build up at a good rate was badly missed during a couple of batting collapses.
Having recently become England’s all-time leading scorer, Root would surely love to do the same in ODIs and he is only 435 behind Eoin Morgan, who tops the list.
Empowering Jos Buttler
Buttler’s hangdog expressions as England dropped out of both white-ball World Cups led to him being described as “miserable at times” by McCullum, who made it his mission to boost the player’s morale. 34 years old.
The England white-ball captain had a sunnier disposition during the 3-1 T20 series triumph over the West Indies, where he moved away from the wicketkeeper to get closer to his bowlers and fell to bat at number three at his return after four months of absence. with a calf injury.
Could another experience be worthwhile in ODIs? Buttler has batted at five or six for most of his career, but changing the order might just be the challenge he relishes.
Make yourself comfortable with Jofra Archer
It will be interesting to see how McCullum mixes with a number of players, but at the top of the list surely is Jofra Archer, who emerged unscathed from a white-ball program against Australia and the Windies.
After a few injury-plagued years, a return to the Test in 2025 is being considered for fast bowling’s X-factor, who could well benefit from the relaxed and positive approach taken by McCullum.