England’s white-ball head coach, Brendon McCullum, has publicly backed ODI and T20I skipper Harry Brook to eventually lead the Test side. Despite Brook serving as vice-captain during the recent home series against New Zealand, the leadership role was handed to Joe Root after Ben Stokes was suspended for a curfew breach during the second Test. Following the series defeat and Stokes’s subsequent retirement, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) opted to appoint Root for a second stint as captain rather than promoting the 27-year-old Brook.
McCullum, however, remains firm in his belief regarding Brook’s trajectory. “Everyone knows the affection that I have for Harry,” McCullum told Sky Sports. “He’s a wonderful player and he’s doing a fine job as white-ball leader. I think his time will come in the Test job.” McCullum added that he looks forward to developing Brook’s leadership skills, noting that while Root is currently the right choice, Brook will eventually step into a significant role.
The transition in the Test setup sees McCullum stepping aside after a four-year tenure that began and concluded with series against New Zealand. He has been succeeded by fellow New Zealander Stephen Fleming. McCullum spoke highly of his successor, stating, “I had a great time in my four years but now it’s going in a different direction, I think Flem will be excellent. He’s a little bit like me, but better – that’s how I would sum him up.”
McCullum lauded the ECB for securing Fleming’s commitment to English cricket, describing the appointment as an outstanding achievement. The two coaches share a long-standing professional and personal relationship, which McCullum believes will benefit the national team across all formats. “We talk pretty much every day, we’re close mates. We’ve done a lot together and he’s one of those guys who I trust completely,” he said.
Looking ahead, the pair aims to foster success across all three formats through close collaboration. “We want to set this up so that English cricket can be successful across all three formats of the game. That is going to take some give and take at times, we both understand that, but we will work very closely together and give everyone the best opportunity to get the success that we all want to see,” McCullum explained.
The England Test team is scheduled to face Pakistan at home in August and September. Marcus Trescothick will handle coaching responsibilities for that assignment before Fleming officially takes charge for the tour of South Africa in December 2026.
But Stokes had earlier offered a ringing endorsement for Brook to be Test captain, and McCullum shared his views on the 27-year-old.
At some stage in the future, he will have a very important role in that capacity.
