Last Updated on 16 seconds ago by Charbel Coorey
The end of Brendon McCullum’s tenure as England men’s Test coach has the ECB on the hunt for a replacement in time for the three-match series against Pakistan which begins in August.
Various names have been spoken of as potential candidates. The consensus is England are looking for a different style of play after Bazball came undone following a honeymoon period in 2022. They lost more Tests than they have won since February 2023, and with no series wins against Australia and India, it was time for a change.
“We just weren’t quite able to win those big series against India and Australia, the marquee series. We weren’t able to get the results in those and for that, I can only say sorry,” McCullum said, as quoted by Telegraph UK.
“There’s lots to unpack, it’s still fresh, and there’s no Test coach in place at the moment. When they are announced then we’ll work collaboratively together to make sure across all three forms of the game we’re able to do what’s right for English cricket.”
Top candidates to replace Brendon McCullum as England Test coach
ECB CEO Richard Gould said that there is a shortlist of six to 10 names.
“It will be a targeted selection process. We often do a lot of work in terms of planning as to succession – I will always keep a shortlist going of coaches and various other positions and in truth, this position is probably one where the shortlist is no more than six to 10 names globally of a diverse nature,” he told BBC Sport.
“In terms of conversations, they will start to happen now and [managing director of men’s cricket] Rob Key will be leading on those.”
Here is a look at the top candidates to replace McCullum as England Test coach.
Andy Flower
Andy Flower is said to be the preferred candidate, with England reportedly not ruling out an IPL job-share. The great Zimbabwe batsman is the current coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), leading them to consecutive titles.
Flower won three Ashes series as England coach between 2009 and 2014. He also led England to a history-making Test series win in India in 2012. His attention to detail, especially if Rob Key remains as director of cricket, is a key sticking point for the ECB.
“If you’re going to keep Key – who I don’t think his strongest suit is attention to detail – then below, you do need someone who is absolutely across everything and does not miss a trick,” said Nasser Hussain.
“For me, the best person for that is Andy Flower by a country mile. Flower took England to number one in the world. Flower pushed his team hard, some say at times too hard, but I love his coaching ability and the way he went about things.”
However, Flower’s IPL role could make things tricky. With the Ashes less than a year away, Flower missing Test matches could have a detrimental effect on the England team. In fact, the IPL 2027 season could start earlier, clashing with the 150th anniversary Test between Australia and England at the MCG. If it starts later, Flower may not be available in time for the Bangladesh series which begins on May 28.
“I think he’d be a great candidate,” Karthik said on the Sky Cricket Podcast. “I would be very surprised if he took it, given where England are, and his packed schedules.
“Flower has a pre-signed contract with RCB which means he would miss parts of those. Would it be OK for England in preparation for the Ashes if they didn’t have a coach for a Test or two? There is a Test match against Bangladesh in May next year. If Andy Flower is doing RCB, that could be a challenge.”
Richard Dawson
Richard Dawson is currently serving as coach of Glamorgan, who currently sit fourth in Division One of the County Championship. England are reportedly impressed with his tactical acumen and believe he can be a great fit.
Dawson, who played seven Tests for England, has also coached Gloucestershire and was an assistant to Matthew Mott in England’s successful 2022 T20 World Cup campaign.
Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming’s time as Chennai Super Kings coach came to an end on Monday. As a result, Fleming has emerged as a candidate for the role, according to Telegraph Sport.
“England’s interest was piqued by the surprise availability of McCullum’s former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, whose long association with IPL side Chennai Super Kings ended on Monday. It is unclear if Fleming would be interested in working for England, but he could become a candidate alongside Flower,” read the report.
However, it is unclear at this stage whether Fleming would be interested. The left-hander played 111 Tests for New Zealand, with 80 as captain. He scored 7,172 runs in the format.
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid has emerged as a candidate to become England’s next Test coach. Dravid, the only batsman to ever face 30,000 deliveries in Tests, is considered an option because of his stature in the game and how the role will still allow him to spend some time at home.
“Dravid has no desire to coach full-time, but the England Test job would allow him extended periods at home and the chance to help keep alive his favourite format of the game. England, at the very least, should gauge his interest,” read a report, as covered by NDTV Sports.
Jonathan Trott
Trott, who played 120 Tests for England, did a terrific job as Afghanistan coach between 2022 and 2026. He led them to the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-finals and were in contention for the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-finals.
In addition to Trott’s tactical acumen and attention to detail, he maintained strong relationships with the players. The end of his tenure earlier this year led to widespread tributes.
“We have a series against Sri Lanka straight after the World Cup and then the IPL. Tomorrow is Jonathan Trott’s last game with us. We’ve had some unbelievable games and tours with him. He has been someone who has taken Afghanistan cricket to where it is now,” Rashid Khan said in February, as quoted by India Today.
“I think he has worked so hard with every single one. Definitely everyone around us will miss him so much. He played a main role in taking this team on the right way, right path.”
Former England fast bowler Steven Finn believes Trott is a strong candidate because he played so much Test cricket under Andy Flower.
“Jonathan Trott is someone to keep an eye on because he is shaped and moulded in the form of Andy Flower, both as a player and in the way that he’s coached,” said Finn.
“He’s had to deal with quite a volatile situation by coaching Afghanistan for the last four or five years. That would grow you up as a coach quite quickly.”
England’s Test series against Pakistan begins on August 19. The team are seeking to arrest a poor run of form, where they have won just two of their last nine Tests.
