Brendon McCullum has been sacked by the ECB as England’s Test coach days after the departure of Ben Stokes

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Sunday sacked Brendon McCullum as head coach of the England men’s Test team.The decision comes days after Ben Stokes retired from international cricket following England’s 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia earlier this year and the 2-1 home Test series loss to New Zealand last month. McCullum’s departure marks the end of an era for Baseball, despite an English review of the Ashes series earlier this year backing him and ECB chief executive Rob Key.In a statement, the ECB said: “Brendon McCullum will step down as England Men’s Test Head Coach but will continue to lead England’s men’s white-ball teams.”McCullum was England’s Test coach from 2022 and took charge of the white-ball teams in 2025.Reacting to the decision, a “gutted” McCullum said: “I’ve absolutely loved coaching the Test side and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together. There have been some incredible highs and some tough days along the way, but that’s all part of accepting such a challenge.“It’s been a privilege and an honor and I’m grateful. Thank you to the players, staff and fans who have supported us along the way.”“Obviously I’m upset that I’m not going on, but I respect the decision. My focus now is to give the White Ball teams everything I’ve got and help England move on.”“I wish the Test team nothing but success. There’s a hell of a lot of talent in that dressing room and they’re a special bunch of lads. I’ll always be rooting for the lads with a smile on my face and hope they keep playing. I know they’ll continue to make people proud.”Under McCullum, England adopted an attacking style of Test cricket that became known as “Bazball”. The team started his tenure very well, winning the home Test series against New Zealand (3–0) and South Africa (2–1) before completing the away series 3–0 over Pakistan.However, England failed to translate this into success in the Test World Cup. They finished fourth in the 2021-23 cycle, fifth in the 2023-25 ​​cycle and are currently seventh in the 2025-27 standings.McCullum’s tenure also saw a few problems off the field.Limited-overs captain Harry Brook was involved in an altercation with a bouncer at a Wellington nightclub in 2025. England’s Ashes team also faced criticism for their trip to Noosa during the series in Australia. Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson later missed the second Test against New Zealand after breaking the team curfew.Stokes then walked out midway through the third and final Test against the Kiwis following reports that he had fallen out with McCullum and England chief executive Rob Key.