Brendon McCullum in race for England coaching role

After appointing all-rounder Ben Stokes as Test skipper, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will appoint a new coach for Tests. Surprisingly, New Zealand legend and current Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Head Coach Brendon McCullum has prevailed as a serious contender for the high-profile role. 

The coaching role was left vacant following Chris Silverwood's resignation in February 2022, after England's miserable performance in the Ashes series down under. Then, former captain, Paul Collingwood was named interim head coach of England's men's cricket team.

McCullum has been coaching KKR for the last three years now. However, he is yet to work with any first-class side in a coaching role.

'Baz' has always been known for his attacking brand of cricket throughout his career and while captaining the New Zealand Test side. The 40-years-old is considered one of the most successful captains of New Zealand in Test cricket.

He was a key man behind the revival of the Kiwis after being appointed New Zealand captain in 2012. The Dunedin-born was credited for changing the culture of the Black Caps by inspiring them to play an assertive brand of cricket. He also led the New Zealand ODI side to the final of 2015 ICC World Cup in Australia.

ECB's new managing director Rob Key led the interview process and finalized the list of top contenders for the esteemed role. In addition, he said he talked with the limited-overs captain of England, Eoin Morgan, about the selection of a Test coach.

Morgan is a close friend of McCullum and also led KKR in the previous season of Indian Premier League (IPL) under the coaching of McCullum. As reported by British press, Key said, "I've spoken to Eoin about red-ball cricket as well. You want good people with good brains around you to work stuff out, so Eoin Morgan is someone I would speak to about so many different things."

As McCullum works with IPL side KKR every year for two months, Managing Director Key confirmed that the ECB has no problem with his IPL commitments. But, he mentioned, "I would much rather have the best person for 10 months of the year than someone not as good for 12."

It will be interesting to see if ECB is ready to appoint McCullum as Test coach when more experienced coaches like Gary Kirsten, Simon Katich and Graham Ford have also applied for the coveted role.