Coach Brendon McCullum denies he’s running a ‘casual operation’ with England

Brendon McCullum is unrepentant about his relaxed outlook but reiterated he does not “run a casual operation” as he looks set to remain as England head coach in all formats.

A desperately disappointing 4-1 loss in the Ashes, in which the urn was lost inside 11 days of cricket, coupled with off-field indiscretions from a couple of England players brought significant focus on McCullum’s position.

A midnight curfew has since been imposed and Carl Hopkinson has returned as fielding coach, but the Press Association understands McCullum retains the confidence of the England and Wales Cricket Board to turn their fortunes around.

McCullum presided over England’s run to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup before losing on Thursday to co-hosts India, where a hallmark of their campaign was their resilience in tight circumstances.

While accepting he has made mistakes during his tenure, McCullum insisted his famously laidback demeanour should not be viewed through the prism of England being carefree in their endeavours.

“I think there’s probably a perception that we run a casual operation,” McCullum said. “It couldn’t be more further from the truth. I make no apologies for running an informal, positive environment.

“But to call it a casual environment is not quite fair. The work is done, the preparation is put in place and because you are relaxed around that doesn’t mean that the work is not being done.

“I will stress that I love this job. I’m very humbled to be in the role. It doesn’t mean you’re going to get everything right, but you try and make sure you keep trying to drive this team forward.”

England’s planning for the Ashes as well as their selection and tactics came under fire, while the news of Harry Brook being punched by a nightclub bouncer on Halloween, just hour before he captained them in an ODI against New Zealand in Wellington, led to questions about the culture under McCullum.

But England rebounded with five wins out of six on a white-ball tour of Sri Lanka ahead of the World Cup, where they came within eight runs of beating defending champions India in a high-scoring thriller.

Following the match, Brook unequivocally backed McCullum to continue and while the ECB will conduct a review into this winter as a whole, the New Zealander’s contract runs until the end of 2027, taking in the next Ashes and 50-over World Cup in southern Africa.

McCullum revolutionised a Test side that had won one in 17 matches when he took over in May 2022 before taking on ODI and T20 duties with England at the start of last year.

While there have been low moments this winter, McCullum, who has already started planning for this summer, still believes he is up to the task of taking England forwards.

“I’m enjoying the role,” he added. “I think I’ve got a lot more to achieve. From when I took over and we came into English cricket to where we are now, we have improved across certain aspects.

“We’ve missed some opportunities yes, but with the talent that sits among English cricket and the opportunities that sit upon English cricket is a huge opportunity to finish the job that you started.

“I feel like we’ve got some room to be able to improve, and a couple of tweaks here and there, and I think English cricket’s in a position which over the next few years could really continue to improve and achieve exactly what it wants to achieve.”

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