"That's how India have done it" - Michael Atherton cites Rahul Dravid's example as Brendon McCullum becomes all-format England coach
Former England opener Michael Atherton cited India's and Rahul Dravid's examples as Brendon McCullum gears up to coach the Englishmen across formats.
On Tuesday, McCullum was appointed the white-ball coach of England, with the ex-New Zealand captain holding the reins of the Test side since mid-2022. The 42-year-old will succeed Matthew Mott, who stepped down following the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Atherton observed how the BCCI gave Dravid a breather from time to time. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said:
"I think it'll make the people around him very important, people like Marcus Trescothick, who's going to be the interim coach for this Australia series at the end of the summer. He will presumably step in from time to time. That's how India have done it. They've had one man doing both, Rahul Dravid, until recently, but others have stepped in from time to time to give the head coach a break."
The 56-year-old believes McCullum will face some tight schedules and could struggle to balance formats.
"I don't doubt McCullum's credentials at all, but the challenge will be just the extra responsibility, the extra time that it takes to plan and prepare and get a one-day team ready to play. You're probably going to have to be doing that during a Test tour at times."
McCullum has done a commendable job since taking over from Chris Silverwood as the coach of the red-ball side. Under the 42-year-old, England have lost only one series thus far.
"When Stokes and McCullum took over, there was a spring in their step" - Michael Atherton
Atherton feels Jos Buttler and Co. need some joy and freedom back in their side as he hopes for McCullum to inject it. The 115-Test veteran explained: (via the aforementioned source)
"When Stokes and McCullum took over, there was a spring in their step, a freshness about their play and a kind of joy about the game. Key will be hoping that transmits to Buttler, who sometimes looks a bit burdened with the white ball captaincy, and he'll be hoping that McCullum's skills can rub off on him and make him look a little less burdened around the role."
Meanwhile, former England captain Nasser Hussain stated:
"So if they lose an Ashes series, you don't want to then go into a white-ball series where McCullum is weighed down by all the external noise. Not that it seems to affect him, but it must affect everyone. He is going to have to use Trescothick and various other people."
The former Black Caps keeper-batter is likely to start his tenure as England's white-ball coach only next year.