England’s hopes in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 came to a crashing end after a defeat against Afghanistan. Having already lost their opening match to Australia, England’s second consecutive loss eliminated them from the race for the semi-finals. This comes as a shock, considering England was one of the most promising teams, bragging about some highly talented players in their squad. As the disappointment sinks in, many questions will be raised, particularly about their head coach, Brendon McCullum.
Brendon McCullum’s struggles in white-ball Cricket
England in 2023 ODI World Cup, only managed to win only 3 matches out of 9 in India. Later in the 2024 T20 World Cup, failed to go past the semifinals. After England’s continued failures in limited-overs cricket over the past three years, McCullum was appointed as their all-format coach in September 2024. He officially took charge in January 2025, with his contract running until the end of 2027. However, his tenure has not started well. England suffered a 4-1 defeat in the T20I series and a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI series during their India tour. Now, their dismal Champions Trophy campaign where they have lost both matches and crashed out of the tournament, , forget the tournament, the team is struggling to register a win from the last 5 ODIs and this has only added to the concerns.
Brendon McCullum’s Test coaching
While McCullum has undeniably transformed England’s Test team with his aggressive “Bazball” approach, results have been mixed. England lost their Test series against India and could only manage a 2-2 draw in the Ashes. Moreover, they have failed to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship final in the last two cycles, raising concerns about his effectiveness in the longest format, although he was not successful in the Test, the batter was given an all-format coaching responsibility as well.
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What’s next for England and McCullum?
After a disastrous run in Asia, serious questions will be asked about McCullum’s leadership and the direction of England’s cricket team. With England set to host India for a Test series soon, all eyes will be on how McCullum reshapes the squad and whether he can turn things around for English cricket.
