Former New Zealand team captain Brendon McCullum has been appointed as the head coach of the England men’s Test team. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced this on Thursday, 12 May. His appointment comes after England’s poor results in the Test format. Apart from the appointment of Brendon McCullum as the Test Head Coach, the team has seen many changes. The captain of the team has also been changed.
Rob Key was appointed the managing director of the men’s team and was the first to hand over the captaincy of the Test format to Ben Stokes. Earlier, Joe Root was the captain of the Test team, but he has decided to step down from his post due to his continuous poor performance. Joe Root captained the team on the tour of the West Indies, where the English team lost 1–0.
Speaking on his appointment, McCullum said: “I’d like to say how pleased I am to be given this opportunity to positively contribute to England’s Test cricket set-up and move the team forward into a more successful era.
“I am acutely aware of the significant challenges the team faces at present, and I strongly believe in my ability to help the team emerge as a stronger force once we’ve confronted them head-on.”
McCullum’s outstanding Test career had him lead the national side for four years from 2012 to 2016. He scored over 6400 runs from 101 Tests and also holds the record for the most sixes hit in the format (107).