England coach Brendon McCullum believes that whoever replaces Jos Buttler as the white-ball captain will require adequate support to successfully lead the team’s resurgence. McCullum suggested that Buttler’s tenure was challenging because the white-ball formats were not given sufficient priority.
McCullum expressed sadness rather than pride at Buttler’s resignation, acknowledging the difficulties Buttler faced. He believes Buttler’s struggles were due to the circumstances, not a lack of captaincy skills. Despite England’s struggles in white-ball ICC events after their 2022 T20 World Cup win, Buttler often captained weakened teams in bilateral series.
For example, during an ODI and T20I tour of the West Indies, none of England’s all-format players participated. Similarly, against Australia in September, key players were rested. England subsequently lost all three ODI series.
McCullum stressed the importance of providing the next captain with a more supportive environment. He mentioned that the ECB is working to ensure every format receives the necessary attention, acknowledging the delicate balance required.
Since becoming Test coach in 2022, McCullum has had his preferred Test players available. Now overseeing all formats, he indicated that complete availability for Test cricket might be reconsidered to better balance workloads across formats.
McCullum believes resting players for some Test series could help achieve better balance. He requested time to analyze recent performances, identify areas for improvement, and plan the future structure. He emphasized that Buttler has established a strong foundation for his successor, drawing parallels with Joe Root’s Test captaincy handover to Ben Stokes, which led to improved performances.
McCullum believes Buttler’s leadership impact will be felt even after his departure, similar to how Joe Root’s groundwork paved the way for Ben Stokes’ success. He hopes for a similar positive transition in the white-ball teams.
The ECB had hoped that pairing Buttler with McCullum would replicate Eoin Morgan’s success in unleashing England’s white-ball potential. However, recent poor results led to criticism of their approach as overly simplistic and not suited to the current players’ skillsets.
McCullum defended their approach, highlighting the narrow margins in recent losses. He believes England has immense talent but is currently lacking confidence. He refuted the perception of arrogance, stating the team is actually overly critical of themselves and desperate to perform, which is hindering their performance. McCullum sees their job as helping players handle pressure and disappointment to unlock their potential.
While Harry Brook is a leading candidate to replace Buttler, McCullum stated no decision has been made yet. Buttler’s resignation was unexpected, but McCullum sees the emergence of multiple leaders within the team as a positive aspect of Buttler’s captaincy. He reiterated the importance of supporting the new captain to improve team performance.
