World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan has backed Brendon McCullum to become the next white-ball head coach of the England men's team.
Two days ago, England released a statement confirming that Matthew Mott had stepped down from his post as coach of the England men's white-ball team. The announcement came on the back of successive disappointing performances at limited-overs tournaments — the 2023 Cricket World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Hundred on Thursday (August 1), 2019 World Cup-winning captain Morgan backed McCullum, England's current Test coach, to take over leadership of the white-ball side as well.
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Morgan: Brendon McCullum is one of the best coaches in the world
"In my eyes at the moment, you would go to Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Stephen Fleming...and Brendon McCullum," Morgan said, listing out the potential candidates for the role. "I say that because I believe he is one of the best coaches in the world. You see what he did with the Test team. Yes, the big question will be how he makes it fit over the course of the 12 months. But again, from Rob Key's point of view, he needs to make it attractive.
"It's not the option to come in and let somebody grow on the job. You're talking about winning World Cups and winning Champions Trophies. This is not, you know, an opportunity for a young guy to come in. You want the best person on the planet to come in and help Jos Buttler and the England cricket team get better."
"He is one of the best coaches in the world, Rob Key should have that conversation" 🗣️
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 1, 2024
Eoin Morgan backs Brendon McCullum to take over from Matthew Mott as England's white-ball coach 🏴 pic.twitter.com/vojYN82sVe
Morgan: Not sure McCullum has given it a lot of thought
When asked about whether McCullum would be keen on taking up the added responsibility and coaching England in all three formats, Morgan said, "To be honest, I'm not sure he's given it a lot of thought yet. And if anything, he should. And Rob Key should have that conversation. We've seen the dramatic turnaround in the England Test team and the foil that he's made with Ben Stokes.
"I've played under Brendon as a coach (at Kolkata Knight Riders). We've seen what he's done in New Zealand cricket over the years and the success that he's had. He's a very versatile, more-than-capable coach who is highly, highly, regarded who ultimately has made the England Test team a better side, which is what you want from your head coach."
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McCullum took over from Chris Silverwood as England Test coach in 2022, with Matthew Mott taking the reins of the white-ball teams. During his time in charge, England have won 17 of 26 Tests they have played.
That appointment came despite McCullum having been regarded as more of a white-ball specialist, leading New Zealand to the 2015 World Cup final as a player and serving as KKR coach in the IPL after retirement. He was known during his playing days for batting in an aggressive, attacking fashion and was one of the pioneers of T20 batting. Tapping into his expertise in the white-ball formats could be a route England explore, provided McCullum is open to the job.
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