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Test coach Brendon McCullum says he wants England’s white-ball teams to feel “10ft tall and bulletproof” when he takes charge of the limited-overs teams in a major management shake-up.
The New Zealander has reinvigorated the England Test team alongside captain Ben Stokes since 2022 and will look to bring his attacking approach to the limited-overs sides.
McCullum, 42, has extended his contract until the end of 2027, officially taking charge of the one-day international and Twenty20 teams in January to coincide with a tour of India and the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
He will succeed Matthew Mott, who was sacked as coach in July after England’s lacklustre defence of their 50-over and Twenty20 World Cup titles.
One of McCullum’s most pressing tasks is to revive the fortunes of limited-overs captain Jos Buttler.
Buttler, 33, will miss the upcoming T20 series against Australia with a calf injury but McCullum has backed the man he called England’s greatest white-ball player of all time to recover in the twilight of his career.
“He’s not as naturally expressive as some people can be, but I thought he did a great job. He’s an incredibly gifted player and a great leader,” McCullum said.
“My job is to get the best out of him so all those guys sitting in the locker room feel like they can be 10 feet tall and bulletproof when they go out to play.”
The former New Zealand captain added: “Jos and I are actually starting from a solid base. We know each other, we’re friends, we have similar playing styles.
“If he were to retire today he would be regarded as the best white-ball player England have ever produced. So the opportunity over the next three or four years is simply to enjoy it.”
McCullum was speaking at the Oval, where England will face Sri Lanka in the final Test of their 2024 home campaign from Friday.
England already lead 2-0 in the three-match series, having blanked the West Indies 3-0 earlier in the season.
– Stokes, a man for the ‘big time’ –
Another win would give England their first perfect home season in 20 years and provide further evidence of their progress under McCullum and Stokes.
They could now be together for at least two more Ashes series, with McCullum also leaving the door open for Stokes to continue competing in major white-ball events.
“The captain and I haven’t talked about it yet, but I’m guessing he’s all in. He seems like that kind of guy.”
Stokes, 33, came out of one-day international retirement to play in the 50-overs World Cup last year but has not played white-ball cricket for England since.
“There will be bilateral series where we simply won’t be able to have all of our best players playing at the same time,” McCullum added.
“But when it comes to major events and big series, I think those players are very present in those discussions.
“Ben loves big moments and big scenes.”
As for his own increased responsibilities, McCullum said optimistically: “I don’t think it’s a problem… It’s going to be an extra workload, for sure, but some gambles are worth taking, right?”
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