Oval, London

The newly-appointed England’s white-ball head coach, Brendon McCullum, outlines his plans when he takes over as the country’s all-format coach early next year. McCullum and Test captain Ben Stokes revived England’s red-ball cricket by injecting aggression into the players and pushing them to play entertaining yet fearless cricket. With him entering the white-ball circuit, McCullum has backed regular captain Jos Buttler to keep his job despite the change in the leadership group rumours.

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Speaking to the media for the first time since being named England’s all-format coach, McCullum backed Buttler to enjoy his time in the middle, calling him the country’s greatest ever.

“I am very confident in Buttler as captain. What I want from Jos is for him to enjoy the next few years,” McCullum said during a presser at the Oval ahead of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka, starting on Friday (September 6). 

“If he retired tomorrow, he would probably go down as the greatest white-ball player England have produced, so there is a chance for however long he plays to not protect anything and play with a smile on his face. My job is to push him towards that.”

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“He has been a little bit miserable at times; he is not naturally as expressive as some, but he has done a great job,” he continued.

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McCullum, who played against Buttler multiple times in the past decade, calls him a champion player and someone who is gifted and a team leader.

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The former Kiwi skipper admitted his job is to allow Buttler to play freely so it could give confidence to the dressing room, motivating them to play better every time.

“He has won a World Cup as captain [the T20 edition in Australia in 2022] and been part of World Cup-winning teams previously. He is a gifted player and a fine leader.”

"My job is to get the best out of him so players in the dressing room feel bulletproof and 10 feet tall and know the skipper is going to give them that extra pat on the back and enjoy the ride with them,” Buttler said.

What will McCullum bring to the table?

Having impressed one and all with his dynamic coaching style, McCullum vows to instil positivity and style into the already daunting-looking white-ball side that has been through a lot since the past decade.

"I will bring the positivity and style I like to operate with across all formats, and I think it will give us a good chance of being successful."

"The white-ball side has been through a dynasty from when [Eoin Morgan] started it. They have won World Cups, and some once-in-a-generation players have come through at the same time."

"Now, a natural regeneration is required, and that's the bit that excites me. I look around at the talent, and they have learnt how to play from those once-in-a-generation cricketers,” McCullum noted.

(With inputs from agencies)