English cricket has had a bit of a crush on New Zealand in recent times. From the buccaneering if ultimately thwarted World Cup campaign in 2015 that inspired Eoin Morgan’s white-ball side to silverware four years later, to last summer’s World Test Championship triumph, admiration has been plentiful. In some ways the move to hire one of its architects, Brendon McCullum, should not be a total shock.
Nevertheless, McCullum taking charge of the Test team, with the white-ball vacancy still outstanding, is an eye-catching move by Rob Key. It is in keeping with the wind that has swept through since the lamentable winter too. Key is a director of men’s cricket plucked from the commentary box, Ben Stokes is the new Test captain despite having occupied the role in only one previous first-class match – a head coach who has never done the job with a red-ball team simply completes the set.
