England’s next Test head coach: Andy Flower, Andrew Flintoff and Justin Langer among names tipped to replace Brendon McCullum | Cricket News
Brendon McCullum’s departure from the role of England Test head coach leaves the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) with a huge gap to fill ahead of a crucial home Ashes series next summer.
McCullum took charge in the spring of 2022 and quickly restored belief in England’s Test side, winning 11 of his first 13 matches. But a disappointing 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia, followed by eight losses in the team’s last 12 Tests, brought the ‘Bazball’ era to an end and left England searching for a new red-ball coach.
A plethora of names from home and abroad have been tipped to replace him – but who is in the running?
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James Cole breaks down Brendon McCullum’s departure from his role as England Test coach and looks into why ‘something had to give’ for the ECB.
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ECB CEO Richard Gould says the decision that meant Brendon McCullum would leave his role as England Test coach was based on results but insists McCullum has created some ‘amazing’ memories.
Justin Langer
Justin Langer shakes the hand of Ben Stokes ahead of the 2025 Ashes
Former Australia coach Justin Langer will probably feature at the top of most lists.
Langer recorded 15 wins, 11 losses and 5 draws in his time in charge of the Baggy Greens, retaining the Ashes on British soil with Australia in 2019.
Langer has been out of the international limelight, ironically, since the start of Bazball but has been in charge of Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL since July 2023, as well as a brief stint managing the London Spirit of the Hundred in 2025.
He is someone who knows the English domestic game well, playing for Middlesex and Somerset in the County Championship as a player.
Andy Flower
Could Andy Flower be set for a second spell as England’s Test coach? (PA Images)
Andy Flower was previously England head coach at a time the Test side made it to No 1 in the world and secured a famous away Ashes series win in 2011.
His tenure ultimately unravelled as a strained relationship with Kevin Pietersen, coupled with a chastening 5-0 Ashes defeat in Australia in 2013-14, proved too much to overcome.
He spent five years in charge of the England Lions before enjoying a series of successful coaching roles on the T20 franchise circuit, earning the admiration of former England captain Nasser Hussain.
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Nasser Hussain has his say on who should be the next England Test coach after Brendon McCullum leaves the role.
“For me, the best person for that would be Andy Flower by a country mile,” Hussain said. “Flower took England to No 1 in the world.
“I love his approach to coaching – he was meticulous in everything that he did. That’s what’s been lacking in this England Test match side.
“I would do anything if I was Rob Key and the ECB to go and get Andy Flower.”
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff earned 79 Test caps for England during his international career
Former England captain Andrew Flintoff is the current coach of the England Lions and has also stepped in to assist with white-ball duties on recent occasions.
He would be a ready-made internal promotion for the ECB and would need little handover in terms of getting to know the talent at his disposal.
Flintoff also remains close friends with England men’s managing director Rob Key from their playing days, giving the pair a long-standing relationship and an established working dynamic.
If appointed, deciding who he wants as the next Test captain is likely to be the first task on his agenda after the former all-rounder agreed last month to become Sydney Thunder’s new head coach in Australia’s Big Bash League.
Gareth Batty
Gareth Batty poses with his third consecutive County Championship Division One trophy in 2024
Surrey’s head coach Gareth Batty could also be thrown into the ring in the same bracket.
Batty led Surrey to three consecutive County Championship titles in 2022, 2023, and 2024 and boasts an impressive coaching record under director of cricket Alec Stewart, who was among the names to be tipped as a potential replacement for Rob Key.
The former England off-spinner is another who would know the player pool well having either coached them directly or plotted how to get the better of them as opponents, with current England players Jamie Smith and Matt Fisher under his leadership at the Oval, as well as former Test No 3 Ollie Pope.
Jonathan Trott
Jonathan Trott led Afghanistan to the T20 World Cup semi-finals in 2023
Former England batter Jonathan Trott has been out of work since standing down as Afghanistan head coach earlier this year.
The 45-year-old would certainly be a marked departure from McCullum’s style for those who remember his gritty and obdurate innings at No 3 that helped England’s march to world No 1.
But he is another who has made a notable impression in his relatively short coaching career, leading his Afghanistan side to the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Mickey Arthur
Mickey Arthur has been Derbyshire head coach since 2021
Mickey Arthur has bags of experience at international level having coached his native South Africa as well as Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka over the past 20 years.
But the current Derbyshire head coach may prefer to stay out of the limelight and continue building on his hard work from the past five years.
He signed a new two-year deal with Derbyshire in February, but could be tempted by a high-profile return to the Test arena.
Darren Lehmann
Darren Lehmann is currently the coach of Northamptonshire in the County Championship
Former Australia batter and head coach Darren Lehmann also falls into the same category as the current Northamptonshire coach.
Working in Lehmann’s favour is the fact he masterminded two Ashes series victories over England just over a decade ago.
That came before his tenure in charge of Australia ended abruptly amid the sandpaper-gate scandal that embroiled former captain Steve Smith and batter David Warner, with the former stripped of his Test captaincy as a result.
Considering England’s recent off-field struggles, hiring a figure as controversial as Lehmann feels unlikely.
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