Ricky Ponting has revealed that he was offered the job of head coach of the England men’s Test team before Brendon McCullum.
McCullum succeeded Chris Silverwood in May 2022 and set about changing the way the team played after a run of one win in 17 Tests. With Ben Stokes as captain, England have adopted an ultra-attacking style, dubbed ‘Bazball’, which has helped them lose just three of their 14 Tests under his leadership.
The former New Zealand captain was appointed by Rob Key, who took over as director of cricket a month earlier. Key and his selection committee, which comprised strategic adviser Andrew Strauss, chief executive Tom Harrison and performance director Mo Bobat said at the time that McCullum was the "outstanding candidate" for the role.
