As Brendon McCullum appraised 12 months of fluctuating fortunes for England’s Test side, and looked ahead to a defining year against India and Australia, it was hard not to wonder if a coach known for his gambler’s outlook had let slip a tell.
The 2-1 series victory here in New Zealand tipped England’s ledger for 2024 to nine Test wins and eight defeats, all while introducing fresh personnel into the setup and dropping the average age of the side by nearly five years. “We’re a better team than we were back then,” said McCullum.
With this came his belief that England will soon “be able to take on the best teams in the world”, with Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jacob Bethell and Jamie Smith all name-checked for promising starts to their Test careers. As regards the makeup of the top order next year, and where Ollie Pope slots into it, there were no guarantees.
A fortnight ago in Wellington, Ben Stokes had “no doubt” Pope would be back to his preferred spot at No 3 next summer. His vice-captain dutifully took on wicketkeeping duties for the series after Smith’s absence for paternity leave was followed by Jordan Cox, the intended stand-in, suffering a broken thumb at the start of the tour.
But life moves pretty fast and Bethell – scarcely older than Ferris Bueller – staked a claim for first-drop with three half-centuries; the last a gutsy 76 on the final day when the left-hander rode out the fiery Will O’Rourke better than some of his seniors. In the topsy-turvy world of Bazball, it could be that a player with three Test centuries in 2024 is nudged out for a youngster who is yet to make one at professional senior level.
“It is a good problem to have,” replied McCullum, when asked if what Stokes had said about Pope still held true. “We were all a little unsure whether Beth could play at No 3, but we saw the talent in him and he has performed very well against a very good bowling lineup.
“We will work it out. Popey has done really well for us and to have Beth there as well you are adding some depth to your batting stocks.”
On one level, there was little need for McCullum to commit, with five months until a one-off Test against Zimbabwe and his attention soon switching to coaching Jos Buttler’s white-ball sides from January. But despite Pope’s 77 and 66 from No 6 having been central to the wins in Christchurch and Wellington, there was also a contrast with his thinking on Zak Crawley.
At the end of the worst series by an England opener – an average of 8.6 from six innings – Crawley was described as being a “huge member of the side” and “so important” as a “complementary player” for others. “He’s got our full confidence and he knows at his best he wins us games,” said McCullum, noting Crawley had topped the averages in their most recent encounters with India and Australia.
It is here where Pope may be battling, with his combined average against the other “Big Three” nations 22 from 18 Tests. McCullum is one to talk about ceilings and appears keen to find out how high Bethell’s sits. “Nice player ain’t he?” said McCullum, regarding the 21-year-old. “He has a nice bit of class about him. It feels like he has been in the team for three or four years. He is a calm and mature young fella.
“He is very meticulous with his preparation and planning; he lets his flair and creativity show on the big stage. He is a guy we can’t be more happy with after what he has achieved in this series and he has shown that international cricket is for him.”
A permanent switch would be pretty ruthless, not least after Pope selflessly changed roles on tour. The 26-year-old also stepped up to lead the side for four Test matches – the 2-1 win over Sri Lanka and England’s victory in the first Test in Pakistan – when Stokes was missing with the first of his two hamstring injuries.
But for all the easy-going, golf-bro vibes, McCullum has shown himself to be ruthless. It was 100 caps and done for Jonny Bairstow in India, with Ben Foakes also dropped after that 4-1 defeat. Ollie Robinson is on the outside looking in with a Test bowling average of 22.9, while McCullum flew halfway around the world to tell Jimmy Anderson his Test career was done.
The last decision is one McCullum feels has been vindicated, with Atkinson (52 wickets at 22) and Carse (27 at 19.8) handed their chance and still able to tap Anderson’s knowledge. He said: “It is never nice when I have to make decisions which have effects on people’s careers. But what we have seen is what Jimmy is like around the group [as bowling coach]. I know he would love to play on but we were in position to regenerate our talent.
“Atkinson, Carse, these guys are getting such an opportunity to work with Jimmy, who is so fresh out of playing. With his knowledge and wisdom, he is desperate to help these guys to quicken the process of getting where they want to. But I must stress, we need to keep bringing through a battery of fast bowlers.”
To that end, the pacemen Josh Tongue and John Turner are in the Lions squad that will tour Australia in January – a recce for next winter’s Ashes tour – while Mark Wood has stepped up his return from an elbow injury. Olly Stone, unused in New Zealand, is another quick, while Jofra Archer is slated to return to red-ball cricket next summer.
McCullum may have been vague about his intended Test No 3 next summer but the approach with the ball in 2025 could scarcely be clearer.
