Brendon McCullum emerged from England’s latest roller-coaster tour still smiling. Barely an hour after the side’s T20 World Cup semi-final defeat by India at the Wankhede, the head coach made it plain he sees unfinished business. “I would love to carry on,” he said. The New Zealander’s contract already stretches to 2027, yet an ECB review is under way and, after a harsh few months, nothing is being taken for granted.
First, the basics. England lost the Ashes 4-1, stumbled through an uneven Test winter and, on Thursday night, fell nine runs short of chasing 254 for a place in Sunday’s final. Jacob Bethell’s maiden T20I hundred gave India an almighty fright, while Harry Brook’s young side showed the brand of fear-free batting McCullum craves. But silverware never arrived and scrutiny has followed.
“Yeah, it’s been busy, hasn’t it?” McCullum told Sky Sports, half-laughing at the understatement. “There’s been a bit going on across different formats, but I think the white-ball side has been exceptional in the post-Ashes period. We’ve played some good cricket, and it’s got a real identity about it as well under Brookie’s captaincy.”
Brook echoed that upbeat note, saying afterwards he was “very proud” of the effort against India, a comment delivered while still catching his breath in the Wankhede’s corridors. Pride, though, will not erase the memories of a Test tour that veered off course. The Ashes defeat was England’s heaviest in Australia for a decade and raised questions about discipline and direction.
“Did we play the style of play that we took down to Australia or did we not? If we’ve been honest with ourselves, I’d probably say we didn’t,” McCullum admitted. “And that’s something that we need to have a good hard conversation around. What is the direction, or style, that we’re wanting to be consistent with?”
The drinking-culture accusations that swirled during the Ashes remain uncomfortable. Players privately insist the issue was overstated, yet acceptance has grown that focus drifted at key moments. For McCullum, the solution lies in clarity rather than crackdown. His preferred method has always been to trust the dressing-room, not police it.
“Look, I love the job,” he added, relaxation mixing with resolve. “I think it’s a great job. It doesn’t come without its challenges, of course, but that’s the nature of it. I feel like we’ve achieved some really cool things over the last few years, but there’s still so much to achieve with the side across all formats.”
Those achievements include the immediate ‘Bazball’ impact when he and Ben Stokes ripped through New Zealand and India in 2022, plus a T20 World Cup triumph later that year. Yet England still haven’t beaten Australia or India in a Test series under his watch, a gap that nags. The next chance comes at home to New Zealand in June, with India visiting in 2027 and an Ashes defence the same summer.
Analytically, England’s white-ball upswing is easy enough to chart. Brook’s insistence on attacking power-play batting and flexible bowling changes has delivered quicker starts and genuine variety at the death. The Test side’s issues are more nuanced: ageing seamers, a spinning cupboard still thin, and a batting line-up that dazzles one week then disappears the next. Consistency, not excitement, is the missing piece.
For all that, McCullum remains upbeat. He spoke of heading home “to watch some fast horses and play some shocking golf,” a short mental breather before meetings begin. The ECB review panel will ask for honest assessments; the coach says he welcomes it.
“As you always do,” he concluded, “you let things land, you try and then objectively look at what is working, what isn’t working, and what things you need.” That sentence tailed off, perhaps intentionally, the to-do list still forming in his head. What is clear is that McCullum wants to be part of the solution – and believes his players, chastened yet unbowed, will feel the same when the next ball is bowled.
