Amid a poor campaign in the Ashes 2025-26, England national cricket team head coach Brendon McCullum has finally opened up about his future with the English team.
Brendon McCullum said his future as England head coach is not in his hands as higher powers will decide, but he insisted he is the right person to take the team forward.
I’ll just keep trying to work, try to learn lessons – Brendon McCullum
After taking over as England’s red-ball head coach, Brendon McCullum revolutionized the team as he adopted a new ‘baseball’ style, an aggressive and entertaining brand of cricket.
This gave the team a lot of success in the beginning and England started winning after a long weak journey in Test cricket.
However, over time, England have faced allegations of being overly arrogant and not listening to the former cricketer’s advice to adapt their playing style as per the conditions.
Overall, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes have won 25 Tests and lost 17 out of the 44 matches they have played, but since the start of 2024, they have lost 13 and won only 12. They have also lost the ongoing Ashes series, with two matches still remaining.
Amid England’s disappointing campaign in the Ashes 2025-26, there have been calls for Brendon McCullum to be sacked as head coach. When McCullum was asked if he would be in charge of the team at the start of the 2026 English summer, he replied:
“I don’t know. It’s not really up to me, right? I’ll just keep trying to work, try to learn lessons from it.” [we] It’s not working right here yet and try to make some adjustments. Those questions are for someone else, not for me.”
Notably, Brendon McCullum initially joined as England’s red-ball head coach and received a contract extension till 2027 when he took charge as the head coach of all formats. If he is sacked before 2027, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) could reportedly lose more than £1 million.
Those other decisions are up to other people – Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum further said that he has enjoyed his time with England and the team has made significant improvements under his guidance. He elaborated:
“It’s a great programme. It’s good entertainment. You travel around the world with the boys and try to play some exciting cricket and try to achieve things… For me, it’s a case of trying to get the best out of the guys and trying to achieve what you can with them.
“Those other decisions are up to other people. But from my point of view, I’m enjoying the time I’ve spent with these guys and I think we’ve made some progress since I took over. We’re not finished yet, but I think as a cricket team we’ve definitely improved. We have an identity of our own. Now is the time to really showcase that identity in the last two Tests and try to salvage something from that.”
There’s no doubt it’s going to sting – Brendon McCullum
Although England lost the Ashes series, they still have a chance to clinch ICC World Test Championship points as well as register their first Test win on Australian soil since 2011.
Meanwhile, Brendon McCullum is completely focused on winning the next Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and then Sydney in order to refuse excessive humiliation. He said:
“Okay, we’ve got to find a way to win the next game. If we can play again, just find that beautiful situation where you’re not limited by the pressure and the expectations of everything. Accept all of that, lean into it, and just accept that it’s going to be there, but then just go out and when you cross the line, go out and just play the game.
“If we can do that, we give ourselves a better chance. The camaraderie, the morale will always be the same as it is within this group. We have tried to completely unify this team and we try to make sure that everyone is contributing, and it will be no different in the coming days.
“It’s going to sting, no doubt. But we know we’ve got a job to do in Melbourne and Sydney. If we can salvage something from the next two Tests, that’s something.”
Also read: Drunk during the Ashes! ECB forced to investigate Ben Stokes and England stars after Noosa liquor scandal comes to light
