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Nasser Hussain said that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has taken the right decision to remove Brendon McCullum from the post of Test coach of the England national cricket team. The ECB’s decision to sack McCullum came on Sunday, 12 July, after the cricket board had shown its support for him only a few weeks earlier, despite losing the previous Ashes series 1–4.
With Brendon McCullum as head coach, the England cricket team developed a new way of batting in white. Instead of focusing on defence, McCullum had encouraged the players to perform fearlessly with the bat.
Overnight ‘Baseball’ became a brand in taste
‘Baseball’ became a household name in no time. Former England captain Nasser Hussain admitted that during the Brendon McCullum era, the team played exciting cricket in the longest format of the game.
The team had some success in distance running as well as in the initial phase of ‘buzzball’, but gradually the team faced several defeats. A 1-4 defeat against arch-rivals Australia had put Brendon McCullum’s job in danger at the beginning of the year. The former New Zealand opener remained in power as the ECB backed him.
Nasser Hussain supports removal of Brendon McCullum
Hussain said in a video that it would be wrong to say that the team made a good start with fresh batting. In both home and away games, England also achieved some clinical victories. But in recent times, this method looked less effective as the team suffered several defeats in high-level competitions.
The former captain told Sky Sports Cricket, “I think it would be remiss not to mention the way he played at the start. He was extremely enjoyable to watch. He won a lot of games and the way he won at home and away. But at the end of the day, in recent times, with the Ashes and losing seven of their last nine Test matches and the manner of those losses, I think it’s the right time.”
He said, “I’m not sure it was the right thing for Rob Key to have the same person coaching both the white-ball and Test teams, and I think it’s the right thing for Bender McCullum now to focus on white-ball cricket.”
“I think this is the right time”
Nasser Hussain reacts to Brendon McCullum stepping down as England Test coach pic.twitter.com/Z03Y0IgeQz
– Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 12, 2026
England’s Test team is without captain and head coach
Brendon McCullum’s tenure as England head coach in Tests ended with 27 wins, two draws and 20 losses, with seven of these losses coming in England’s last nine Test matches.
The recent 2-1 defeat against New Zealand at home seems to be the last nail in the coffin. England was a strong contender to win the 3-match Test series, but the visitors won the title. As soon as the series ended, Ben Stokes announced his retirement from this format.
England’s Test team is currently without a captain and head coach. The ECB must find suitable replacements to fill the vacancies as quickly as possible.
