“When I leave in 3 ½ years, you want the group of coaches to be viable head coach candidates”: Brendon McCullum on coaching England
By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer – Jos Buttler won’t be available next week, when England plays fierce rival Australia in three T20s starting from Wednesday, after a setback in his recovery from a calf injury that has kept him sidelined since July.
Buttler has been replaced in the T20 squad by Jamie Overton, while Phil Salt will take over as captain — having also deputized for Buttler in the role for the Manchester Originals in the recent Hundred tournament.
The five-match ODI series starts on Sept. 19 so Buttler has two weeks to recover. Batter Jordan Cox has been added to the ODI squad as cover in case Buttler doesn’t make it.
England has already started blooding a new generation of leaders this summer, with Ben Stokes’ torn hamstring allowing Ollie Pope to take charge of the ongoing test series against Sri Lanka.
Brendon McCullum wants that to happen on the coaching front, too, saying it will be important to have the right team around him so he can, from time to time, have a break amid a busy all-formats schedule over the coming years.
That should help in enabling a successor to emerge, too.
“There’ll be times where we’ll have to be smart with (rotating) players and support staff in and out, and that will include myself,” McCullum said. “I don’t see that as a problem. I’m happy to be governed by the results and be the one that’s in the gun if things don’t work out.
“But there’s some opportunities for some of the other coaches in our group at the moment to step up and run the team in a head coach capacity. I think that’s great, because ultimately when I (leave) in 3 ½ years, you want the group of coaches who you’ve been able to bring along to be viable head coach candidates. Whilst it’s a challenge, it’s an opportunity.”
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