Brendon McCullum's days as England head coach may be numbered as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) may consider sacking him following the conclusion of the Ashes series. This comes after the Three Lions' defeat to Australia in the ongoing five-match Test series. There has been a lot of scrutiny against McCullum and it will not be a surprise if the cricket board decides to let him leave.
According to a report by Telegraph sport, McCullum's future as the head coach will rest on the call that ECB make following the end of the Ashes. The report further said that ECB officials are already conducting a review on how the England team lost the first three Ashes Tests after just 11 days of play. It further said that they are currently not in favour of changing the management that consists of McCullum, Ben Stokes and director of cricket Rob Key.
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McCullum had made a great start to his tenure as England's Test coach and the side had won 12 out of their first 13 matches under him in the format. However, the team's form took a drastic turn following the end of that impressive record. Not only have they failed to win home series against teams like Australia and India, but have also underperformed big time in the World Test Championship (WTC). They are yet to make the final in the tournament's three-edition long history.
Stokes backs McCullum
It is likely that McCullum will be the side's head coach at least until the 2026 T20 World Cup. Stokes had recently even come out in his support and had remarked that him and McCullum are the right people to take this team forward.
"There is no doubt in my mind that me and Brendon are the right people to carry on doing this for the near future. I can't see there being someone else who could take this team from where we are now to even bigger heights," Stokes said ahead of the Sydney Test, as quoted by BBC.
Australia in control at SCG
Meanwhile, Australia have taken complete control of the Sydney Test. Centuries from both Travis Head and Steve Smith have helped the Baggy Greens in taking a 134-run lead with two full days of play left. After England got bowled out for 384 in their first innings, the hosts have already managed to post a total of 518/7 on the board and are expected to continue batting on Day 4. It remains to be seen as to who will come out on top in the penultimate Ashes Test.