Brendon McCullum, after signing a two-year extension to his England contract, expects Test captain Ben Stokes to remain fully committed as the New Zealander takes charge of both the Test and white-ball teams starting in January.
McCullum, 42, has revitalised England's Test side since taking on the coaching role two years ago and will soon lead the limited-overs team as well. Stokes, 33, who returned from ODI retirement to participate in last year's 50-over World Cup, has not played white-ball cricket for England since then.
McCullum praised Stokes, calling their relationship "fantastic," and expressed confidence in Stokes' dedication to England's cricket. He acknowledged that global opportunities may arise, but felt certain about Stokes' commitment to pushing the team forward.
Before McCullum's contract was extended this week, it was widely expected that both he and Stokes would step down following the Ashes series in Australia during the winter of 2025-26. Now, McCullum will remain in his role through the next home Ashes in 2027 and beyond, including the 50-over World Cup hosted in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in the same year.
McCullum’s extended tenure will also cover several major tournaments, such as the Champions Trophy in early 2024 and the T20 World Cup in 2026.
In a recent interview, Stokes mentioned that in an "ideal world," he would still be leading the Test side in 2027 and found the lure of global tournaments difficult to resist. McCullum, speaking ahead of England's final Test against Sri Lanka at the Kia Oval, said he hadn’t yet discussed the matter with Stokes, but believed the captain would be "all in" given his love for high-pressure situations.
McCullum also reiterated his support for Jos Buttler, who will stay on as England's white-ball captain despite a challenging year, which saw coach Matthew Mott depart. England, reigning champions in both ODI and T20 formats less than a year ago, struggled in the 50-over World Cup in India and were knocked out in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.
McCullum noted that Buttler had been "a little bit miserable at times" but hoped the wicketkeeper-batsman could focus on enjoying the next few years of his career. McCullum described Buttler as potentially England's greatest white-ball player and encouraged him to continue playing with a smile, take risks, and maximise the performance of the the surrounding team.
With England’s packed schedule, McCullum admitted he would occasionally step back and let his assistant coaches take over, while also planning to travel with his family during certain tours.
This summer, England has been undefeated in all five of their Test matches and will look to complete a perfect six-match run this week.