Cricket news: England head coach Brendon McCullum’s moment of truth as T20 World Cup looms

As pressure grows on England’s Bazball regime, more white-ball failures may prove costly for head coach Brendon McCullum.

The Kiwi and the ECB must have let out a huge sigh of relief when England recently beat Sri Lanka by five wickets to finally win their first away ODI in 11 matches.

Yet, that result and the subsequent series win are scant consolation for a team that has faced immense scrutiny both on and off the pitch after a wretched Ashes campaign – and there remain questions regarding McCullum’s capabilities as coach, let alone white-ball coach.

Here, Sports News Blitz writer Sai Raghav Balakris takes a look at an evolving situation.

Test side’s transformation a faint memory

McCullum took charge of the white-ball set-up in September 2024 after Matthew Mott resigned following disappointing campaigns at the T20 and ODI world cups.

The swashbuckling Kiwi signed a contract extension until the end of 2027 worth £2 million a year, having transformed the Test team.

His achievements with the Test team shouldn’t be discredited – reinventing a beleaguered side that had won just once in 17 games into an ultra-aggressive outfit that won nine out of their next 10 Test matches, all while using a high-risk style that was labelled ‘Bazball’ by the media.

However, since the 2023 Ashes, England have won only 13 of their 28 tests, losing 14 and drawing one.

This run includes failing to beat a transitioning Indian team at home and losing the Ashes away to a second-string Australian side.

Indeed, the limp manner of the Ashes defeat was especially chastening, with questions being asked about the lack of preparation, a drinking culture within the team, and the absence of technical input from the coaching staff.

Recently appointed ODI captain Harry Brook is front and centre of that storm thanks to his pre-Ashes altercation with a bouncer outside a nightclub in New Zealand – an incident that sparked yet more questions of the team’s lack of professionalism.

While Brook was fined £30,000 and has since publicly apologised for the incident, it continues to cast a shadow over what can only be described as an overly relaxed team environment.

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Poor batting underlines shocking ODI record

Brendon McCullum was a pioneer of the template of modern ODI cricket.

His fearless, attacking brand catapulted a relatively unfancied New Zealand team to the final of the 2015 World Cup.

Eoin Morgan, who captained England to their first World Cup triumph in 2019, still credits McCullum’s philosophy for transforming England into a positive, proactive cricket team.

With all these credentials, though, England have severely underperformed in ODIs since the Kiwi took charge, with the manner of defeats adding to the concern.

The Three Lions have been whitewashed in India and New Zealand while going winless in the Champions Trophy, the latter spelling the end of Jos Buttler’s miserable reign as captain.

The team’s inability to bat out the full 50 overs has been extremely worrying, with their batting unit being bowled out in 13 of the last 20, showcasing a lack of tactical nous in the format.

And with England’s domestic ODI tournament occurring during The Hundred, their ODI regulars have been forced to hone their craft in internationals, which has led to significant consequences for the team.

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World Cups to decide McCullum’s fate

England are languishing in eighth in the ODI rankings, just above West Indies and Bangladesh, and would be forced to play World Cup qualifiers during the English Test summer if both teams leapfrog them.

What is more worrying is the fact that all of England’s scheduled series before the World Cup qualification cut-off point are against higher-ranked opposition.

In contrast, Bangladesh and the West Indies have much easier runs against lower-ranked opposition, which puts pressure on England to perform if they do not want their Test summer disrupted.

With all of this said, the upcoming T20 World Cup will determine if McCullum keeps his position as coach of the England set-up.

A poor performance in the tournament would increase the pressure on ECB managing director Rob Key to sack his good friend.

The Dunedin native, remember, was responsible for slimming down the team’s support staff, a decision which attracted flak in the Ashes given England’s wayward bowling and fielding – with the visitors dropping a ridiculous 18 catches.

The ECB have seemingly moved to resolve this, hiring Ashes-winning bowling coach Troy Cooley and former fielding coach Carl Hopkinson.

After the Ashes, McCullum was clear that he would not be told what to do, but he also accepted that there were “areas to improve”.

These appointments may thus signal a shift in approach from the Kiwi as he battles to keep his position as head coach.

An ODI series victory in Sri Lanka was a positive start for an under-fire English side, but with a lot to play for over the next couple of months, all eyes will be on McCullum and his men to see if they can return to being one of the best white-ball teams in the world.

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