England look set to summon Brendon McCullum back to the UK earlier than expected ahead of the Test summer following criticism from former captain Michael Vaughan.
It was confirmed this week that McCullum and managing director of England men’s cricket Rob Key had held on to their jobs despite the humiliating 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia last winter.
McCullum has been backed by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), who stress the coach is ready to embrace change and place a greater emphasis on detail following a review into the Ashes.
The ECB are also keen for the England set-up to repair their strained relationship with the counties, who feel the link between the Test team and domestic cricket has been severed since McCullum took over in the summer of 2022.
To that end, Key is holding a meeting with all 18 county directors of cricket next week, with McCullum, currently at home in New Zealand, joining that remotely.
Brendon McCullum and Rob Key were appointed head coach and managing director respectively in 2022 (Photo: Getty)But while it is reasonable not to expect him to be at that meeting in person, Key’s assertion this week that McCullum would return to the UK just days before the first Test of the summer against New Zealand starts at Lord’s on 4 June has been heavily criticised by 2005 Ashes-winning captain Vaughan.
“Now we are told there will be a greater emphasis on attention to detail,” he wrote in The Telegraph.
“If that is the case, then Brendon should be here early this summer watching county cricket and meeting people face-to-face to rebuild bridges because a lot of people in the county system were more than happy to see England get royally beaten in Australia and that cannot be right.
“McCullum is the highest-paid international coach in the world so expecting him to arrive in England earlier than five days before the first Test is surely the bare minimum.
“Instead he is having a Zoom call with the county directors of cricket and I’m staggered he is not arriving in England until 30 May when the first Test against New Zealand starts at Lord’s on 4 June. That is not good enough and already suggests attention to detail is just words.”
Ben Stokes’s side suffered a heavy 4-1 Ashes series defeat in Australia last winter (Photo: Getty)In response to Vaughan’s comments, the ECB said on Wednesday morning that no date for McCullum’s return to England this summer has been set and travel has yet to be booked.
However, this directly contradicts Key, who this week said about McCullum’s movements ahead of the New Zealand series: “He’s getting here the end of May.”
When pressed on the timeline given by Key, a source suggested the ECB was reviewing McCullum’s expcted arrival date.
“It’s all being worked through. Nothing is confirmed at the moment,” the source said.
The governing body are ultra-sensitive to criticism at the moment following a backlash by fans over the lack of change to the England team’s management structure following the Ashes debacle.
They were also burned by a PR own goal earlier this month when they quickly reversed a ban on England’s Ashes stars talking to the media after The i Paper broke the story of that gagging order.
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Chris Stocks: It’s time to shake up England’s cricket team – and axe five players Chris Stocks: English cricket’s entire reputation now rests on winning the 2027 AshesTo make matters worse, McCullum’s and Key’s man management has also been called into question in recent weeks, with Liam Livingstone, who has not played for England in more than a year, criticising the team culture and regime, adding: “If you’re in, you’re in, and if you’re not in, no-one cares about you.”
Jonny Bairstow, frozen out of the England set-up since 2024, followed that up this week when saying: “You need the care back in the game. It is okay saying people care about things – no they don’t.
“If you are in the system, you are in the system. As soon as you are out of the system, you are out of the system.”
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