After England Test axe, Brendon McCullum to be 'around for The Hundred' to scout white-ball talent

Former England Test head coach Brendon McCullum has confirmed he will remain in England throughout The Hundred to closely monitor the country’s emerging white-ball talent, signalling a complete shift in focus to his role as England’s limited-overs coach.

McCullum’s decision comes just days after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) relieved him of his Test coaching duties following England’s 2-1 home Test series defeat to New Zealand. The loss extended England’s poor red-ball run to seven defeats in their last nine Tests, prompting the ECB to split the coaching responsibilities.

Instead of returning to his native New Zealand, McCullum will spend the next four weeks travelling across England to watch The Hundred, identifying players capable of strengthening England’s ODI and T20I squads.

White-Ball Success Shapes New Role

The move reflects his renewed commitment to England’s white-ball setup, which has enjoyed an impressive resurgence under his guidance. England recently completed a 4-0 T20I series sweep and secured a 2-1 ODI series victory over world champions India, reinforcing the ECB’s decision to retain him as the white-ball coach.

“I’ll be around for The Hundred, I think it’d be great to see some of England’s premier white-ball tournament. If you’re the white-ball coach, I think it’s good to be around for that, seeing not just the guys who are in this squad, but also some of the next talent perform under the brightest lights of The Hundred tournament,” McCullum said as per Cricinfo.

“I think it’d be good to be able to see that up close over the next four weeks or so. I’ll look to try and get around some of those games and see that, and hopefully we’ll see some more talent,” he added.

‘Give and Take’ Between Red and White Ball

McCullum acknowledged that balancing player workloads between the two formats would require cooperation, saying there must be “give and take” between the white-ball and Test setups to ensure the long-term success of English cricket.

“Collaboratively, I think,” McCullum answered when asked how he saw the sharing of resources with the future Test coach.

“Once the new coach is put in place, I think we’ll have a good conversation around everything. Ultimately, as long as everyone wants what’s right for English cricket, then there’ll be some give and take on certain things, and that’s just the way it is,” McCullum added.