Former England captain Michael Vaughan was the loudest voice of doubt as Brendon McCullum was unveiled as his country’s new Test cricket manager on Friday. [NZ time].
Within days, the former Black Cap went from a white ball coaching option to being named red ball coach on a four-year deal, until the next Ashes series ended in Australia.
McCullum’s only coaching experience has been in Twenty20 franchise cricket, meaning the first of three Tests between England and New Zealand at Lord’s in June will be his first game in charge. first class team.
SPARK SPORT
Former Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum and his successor Kane Williamson talk stick and pillows.
Writing for The Telegraph, Vaughan said: “What England did to Brendon is exciting and a big name, but it’s also a big risk.
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“He won’t have to do much for all of us to see a massive improvement, but if that doesn’t happen soon there will be questions about his appointment and whether England would have been better off with a bigger pair of hands. safer, more experienced and know how to coach in test cricket”.
Another former captain, Michael Atherton, writing in The Times, was among those excited about what could happen with McCullum as coach and Christchurch-born all-rounder Ben Stokes freshly installed as captain.
“Surely every supporter in the country must be excited about the potential of the combination of Stokes and McCullum to rouse the England Test team from their torpor,” Atherton wrote.
“They may not succeed, but it will be great fun watching them try.”
“It could be an inspired choice,” was how Atherton ended his column, but New Zealand fans will be hoping England don’t reap instant rewards.
The Black Caps won their first England Test series in 22 years last June and will be aiming for a repeat this year, against a side who have now gone five series without a series win – their worst run in 15 years.
Chris Silverwood was sacked as all-format coach with England after losing the Ashes 5-0 in the summer in Australia and Joe Root resigned as captain after following that tour with a 1-0 defeat in the West Indies.
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Former captain Michael Vaughan believes the appointment of Brendon McCullum as England test coach is “a big risk”.
Ex-player Rob Key has been named chief executive of men’s cricket in England and tasked with overthrowing them and appointing Stoke and McCullum, he has made it clear he is ready to make bold decisions, with the appointment of a manager ODI and T20 soon to follow.
McCullum told his former employer SENZ that the challenge of rebuilding England’s Test squad appealed to him more than a “cushy kind of gig” with his white ball teams, which are among the best in the world.
“To me, if you’re willing to give up your life for something, then it’s got to be something a little grumpy, a little meaty.
“Getting a team that is at its lowest right now out of this situation and trying to build something long-term, sustainable and successful, that was more where the challenge was.
Black Caps manager Gary Stead said he was surprised to hear McCullum’s name linked to England Test work but said it was fantastic news for him, for England and for New Zealand.
“It shows that coaching actions in New Zealand are sought after and have been for a long time.
“There is no doubt that Brendon had the ability to bring the teams together. He has done that in the past, and I’m sure it will happen in this case with England as well. I have no doubt that this will make the proposal more difficult for them.
“I sent him a note earlier congratulating him and can’t wait to have a pint there.”
Stead played down the idea that McCullum’s nomination would make the already highly anticipated series more intriguing, but that will certainly be the case on the outside for the first ball at Lord’s on June 2.
The last time McCullum played a home Test of cricket, in May 2015, he was in the away dressing room and Stokes was in the home one, for a game England won by 124 runs.
In his autobiography, Declared, McCullum said “it’s another magnificent shot from Ben Stokes that really hurts us”, referring to his first Test century, which helped England turn a 134-point deficit into first set into a 344-point lead in the final.
It was a time when McCullum’s influence on the Black Caps was at its peak, and they reportedly fancied their chances of chasing 345 in 77 overs, before dropping to 12-3, 61-5 and 220 all.
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Ben Stokes outsmarted the Black Caps the last time Brendon McCullum played a Test at Lord’s. In June, they will be on the same side as England captain and coach.
McCullum’s was the fifth wicket to fall, thrown for a golden duck by Stokes, but his positive approach as captain and batsman, which was more on display in the second Test – won by New Zealand – and the ODI series which followed, winning many admirers in the British Isles.
Seven years later, McCullum and Stokes are now on the same side, and the Black Caps will be wary of what that might mean.
