When named England’s Test coach in 2022, Brendon McCullum explained he didn’t want it easy. The white-ball job was a “cushy kind of gig” that wasn’t of interest, his pal Eoin Morgan having run that crew so well. World champions and clearing 400 with the bat, what could he change there? Reviving a long‑form team burnt by the pandemic Ashes was actual work and therefore attractive to McCullum.
That he now must take pity on the white-ball setup tells us plenty. Five Twenty20 internationals and three one-dayers in India mark McCullum’s full takeover of England men’s cricket, the tour a preface to the Champions Trophy next month in Pakistan (and the United Arab Emirates should they play India).
