Michael Atherton says there may be “no doubt” Brendon McCullum has the credentials to be a hit as England’s new white-ball head coach, however believes a “big challenge” lies forward for the New Zealander.
England have received 19 of their 28 Checks underneath McCullum’s management, in comparison with one from 17 earlier than he began, and it’s hoped he can regenerate the white-ball facet.
Having received the 50-over World Cup in 2019 and the T20 crown in 2022, Jos Buttler’s facet received solely three of their 9 video games in a disastrous 50-over World Cup marketing campaign in 2023 and likewise misplaced their T20 title this 12 months after shedding to eventual winners India.
The priority round McCullum’s appointment is the extreme cricketing schedule and whereas 2025 is much less compact than earlier years, Atherton believes the additional accountability might be a problem for the 42-year-old, who succeeds Matthew Mott.
“When England went to New Zealand for a Test tour last time and the series finished, there was a white-ball series in Bangladesh the next day,” mentioned Atherton on the Sky Sports activities Cricket podcast.
“Now, in his appointment, he makes the purpose that the schedule has eased a bit from 2025. There aren’t these crossovers that there have been, however I nonetheless suppose it’ll be an enormous problem.
“I do not doubt McCullum’s credentials in any respect, however the problem might be simply the additional accountability, the additional time that it takes to plan and put together and get a one-day group able to play.
“You’re probably going to have to be doing that during a Test tour at times.
“I feel it will make the individuals round him essential, individuals like Marcus Trescothick, who’s going to be the interim coach for this Australia collection on the finish of the summer time, he’ll presumably step in on occasion.
“That’s how India have done it. They’ve had one man doing both, Rahul Dravid, until recently, but others have stepped in from time to time to give the head coach a break.
“When McCullum took the Check job, he mentioned he thought the one-day job was a little bit of a soft position as a result of that was going so properly underneath Eoin Morgan and the Check group was extra of a problem, and that is virtually flipped now.”
Check captain Ben Stokes and McCullum have recognized younger expertise from throughout the nation for the Check facet and nurtured them underneath the ultra-positive ‘Bazball’ philosophy.
Tom Hartley (vs India, 2024), Josh Tongue (vs Australia, 2023), Rehan Ahmed (vs Pakistan, 2023), Will Jacks (vs Pakistan, 2022) and Gus Atkinson (vs West Indies 2024) have all taken a five-for on debut underneath the Stokes-McCullum reign and it’s hoped this success will proceed into the white-ball facet.
“I think [managing director of England men’s cricket, Rob] Key wants McCullum’s influence brought to bear on some of these really good young players right at the start of their international careers,” added Atherton.
“That’s when you can shape and mould players, isn’t it? That’s when they’re still kind of open to outside influence, when they’re still soaking it all in, eager to learn and eager to change, that’s when you can have the most influence on a young player.
“Now, as we transfer on from Morgan’s era, I feel Key desires McCullum to convey that affect and clearly the white-ball position now intrigues him in a means that it did not two years in the past, as a result of they’re in want of the type of regeneration that the Check group wanted two years in the past.”
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England’s interim white-ball head coach Marcus Trescothick says he’ll see how he enjoys the position earlier than making any choices on his future and admits he has no strict plans
Trescothick has backed Buttler as England’s white-ball captain forward of the multi-format collection towards Australia, reside on Sky Sports activities from September 11, and Atherton mentioned the significance of McCullum’s relationship with Buttler going ahead.
“The key will be Buttler because this appointment wouldn’t have been made if he was not all in as well,” Atherton added.
“When Stokes and McCullum took over, there was a spring in their step, a freshness about their play and a kind of joy about the game.
“Key might be hoping that transmits to Buttler, who typically seems a bit burdened with the white ball captaincy, and he’ll be hoping that McCullum’s abilities can rub off on him and make him look rather less burdened across the position.”
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Marcus Trescothick believes Jos Buttler has the management qualities to be England white-ball captain and admits he does not see his place altering for some time
Hussain: Fixed messaging might be a optimistic
Sky Sports activities’ Nasser Hussain believes constant messaging throughout all codecs can solely be a optimistic for England, however believes “freshness” might be a difficulty for McCullum.
“You can imagine the white-ball side having the same messaging as the red-ball side now, and there will be people in all three squads that won’t go from one to the other and be comparing like they may have been doing previously,” mentioned Hussain.
“The fixed messaging throughout, I feel, is an absolute upside. There aren’t any comparisons of coaches or questions of how it’s executed throughout codecs.
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Former England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan instructed that Brendon McCullum might be the perfect candidate to interchange Matthew Mott and do the job alongside his Check cricket position.
“The one thing I’d like to keep, if possible, is the freshness.
“Everybody talks in regards to the freshness of gamers, however typically whenever you’re shedding World Cups, just like the white-ball facet have been, it will likely be fairly good to have Stokes and McCullum, who weren’t a part of that current World Cup, be recent and able to go.
“I want McCullum to turn up to everything he does with freshness and a good mindset that he seems to spread throughout any team.
“So in the event that they lose an Ashes collection, you do not wish to then go right into a white-ball collection the place McCullum is weighed down by all of the exterior noise.
“Not that it seems to affect him, but it must affect everyone. He is going to have to use Trescothick and various other people.”
England vs Australia schedule – all video games reside on Sky Sports activities
- 1st T20 (September 11) – The Ageas Bowl, Southampton (6.30pm begin)
- 2nd T20 (September 13) – Sophia Gardens, Cardiff (6.30pm begin)
- third T20 (September 15) – Emirates Previous Trafford, Manchester (2.30pm begin)
- 1st ODI (September 19) – Trent Bridge, Nottingham (12.30pm begin)
- 2nd ODI (September 21) – Headingley, Leeds (11am begin)
- third ODI (September 24) – Seat Distinctive Riverside, Durham (12.30pm begin)
- 4th ODI (September 27) – Lord’s, London (12.30pm begin)
- fifth ODI (September 29) – The Seat Distinctive Stadium, Bristol (11am begin)
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