"It is a big risk" - Michael Vaughan on Brendon McCullum's appointment as England's Test team coach
Former England captain Michael Vaughan weighed in on Brendon McCullum's appointment as the Test team's coach. Vaughan feels that ignoring Gary Kirsten and roping in Brendon McCullum might be a risky move.
On Thursday, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed McCullum for the role left vacant by Chris Silverwood. The former keeper-batter has signed a four-year deal and will begin his stint with the Test series against New Zealand, starting on June 2.
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In his column for The Telegraph, Vaughan wrote that it's bizarre for English cricket to overlook Kirsten for the second successive time. The 47-year-old feels McCullum remains an extravagant but risky choice. Vaughan wrote:
"If English cricket has overlooked someone like Gary Kirsten for a second time I do find it incredibly bizarre. I don't see how we have made that call twice. He is the perfect mentor, thinker and culture driver who has done it before and has the t-shirt. What England have gone for in Brendon is exciting and a big name, but it is a big risk as well."
The 2005-Ashes winning captain implied that the 40-year-old is better suited for white-ball cricket. He went on to add that the team require a proper Test coach, who can teach them how to do the hard yards.
"We now have in charge of the England Test team two cricketers who do not want to play long periods of boring Test match cricket. The best teams in the world in Test cricket are the ones who can come through the difficult times and seize the moment to win or recognize the crucial hour in the Test."
It's worth noting that this will be McCullum's first role as a coach in international cricket. The Otago-born former player is currently involved with the Kolkata Knight Riders and also coached the Trinbago Knight Riders to the title in CPL 2020.
"I don’t think this England Test team is in a position to play an attacking brand of cricket" - Michael Vaughan
Vaughan stated that while he supports playing an aggressive brand of cricket, he feels England have to concentrate on stabilizing the team first. He continued:
"I am all for attacking play and being aggressive but I don’t think this England Test team is in a position to play that way at the moment. They have to take small steps first, get used to playing long hard periods of Test cricket. And then in time, if you get a group of players with a lot of confidence, they can play more flamboyantly."
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Following his appointment, Brendon McCullum said he understands the challenges ahead of him and is looking forward to working with the newly-appointed Test captain Ben Stokes.