"In many ways, I'm jealous of the Test players" - Eoin Morgan on Brendon McCullum's appointment as England Test team's coach
England's white-ball captain Eoin Morgan has admitted to jealousy as the Test team gears up to work with Brendon McCullum to revive their fortunes. Morgan, who teamed up with McCullum for the Kolkata Knight Riders, hailed the former New Zealand captain as a top-notch man-manager.
McCullum pipped South Africa's Gary Kirsten to take up the job of the England team's Test coach. The New Zealander worked with Morgan for two years, helping the franchise to the IPL 2021 final. He has stepped down from his KKR role and will begin his stint against New Zealand next month.
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Speaking to the Daily Mail, Morgan said that he feels envious of the Test team, having experienced McCullum's man-management skills. The left-hander feels it's a masterstroke to appoint the veteran and hopes Test cricket flourishes under his watch. He said:
"It's unbelievably exciting. In many ways, I'm jealous of the Test players because, having played both with him and under him, I know what a great man-manager Baz is. The best head coaches have this ability to lighten things up and reiterate what direction you're going in, what your purpose is. It's a brilliant appointment, and it says not only a huge amount about English Test cricket but Test cricket in general. We need to be competitive for it to flourish.
It's worth noting that it will be the 40-year old's first coaching stint in international cricket after working in a similar capacity in franchise cricket. McCullum believes England must play an attractive brand of cricket in Tests and be competitive with Australia and India to return to the top.
"Baz will bring huge amounts of confidence to England" - Eoin Morgan on McCullum
Eoin Morgan believes McCullum had a high-pressure job in the IPL as a coach of one of the most popular franchises. So he backs the former dashing opener to turn around England's fortunes in Tests. Morgan said:
"He's a brilliant mentor and being a head coach at one of the biggest IPL franchises comes with big pressure. To get to the final in his second year was a great achievement. Baz will bring huge amounts of confidence to England and absolute clarity in the driection he wants people to go."
Eoin Morgan added:
"Above all, he'll bring a great deal of enjoyment. He changed how Test cricket was looked at in New Zealand, which is incredible given their lack of resources."
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England have had a forgettable last few months in Test cricket, winning only one of their last 17 Tests. They last won a Test against India in August 2021.