England Test captain Ben Stokes expressed his excitement about Brendon McCullum’s appointment as the white-ball coach of the England cricket team.
Stokes, who has worked closely with McCullum in the Test setup, believes that white-ball captain Jos Buttler will thrive under McCullum’s guidance. He highlighted how McCullum’s coaching style allows players to express themselves freely, without added pressure. Stokes, speaking at an event in London, called the appointment an “unbelievable move” for English cricket and praised McCullum for revolutionizing the Test team’s culture.
“I was very surprised by the news,” Stokes joked. “First and foremost, I think it’s an unbelievable move for English cricket to go back to having a coach in charge of all the teams. You look at what Baz has achieved with the Test side, it’s been amazing.
“I’m really excited for the white-ball team to have the opportunity to be able to work with Baz, listen to him speak, his opinions. How his outlook on life reflects cricket, if that makes sense.
“I think Jos is going to really, really enjoy having him as his coach to work with. And you look at all the new faces who are coming into that white-ball team now, I couldn’t think of a better person for them to come in and work under at international level for the first time.
“He just gives everyone the platform to go out and enjoy themselves. That doesn’t always necessarily mean it’s going to reflect on your performances, but Baz never puts any added pressure on anybody’s shoulders whatsoever so far.
“If there was any selfishness, selfishness within me, I would be saying ‘no, please don’t’. But I’m an English fan, I’m an England cricket fan and I couldn’t think of a better person to be appointed to be the new coach of the white-ball team as well.”
Stokes added that McCullum’s leadership will benefit the new faces in England’s white-ball squad and that Buttler will enjoy collaborating with him. Despite joking that he would have liked to keep McCullum solely for the Test side out of “selfishness,” Stokes said that, as an England cricket fan, he couldn’t think of a better person for the role.
McCullum, who has been England’s Test coach since May 2022, will officially take charge of the white-ball teams in January 2025, succeeding Matthew Mott. This move is part of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s strategic restructuring following England’s struggles to defend their 2023 and 2024 World Cup titles.
