Brendon McCullum has lost the red-ball job, but is it time his white-ball gig with England goes to?
The sweeping revolution known as Bazball reached a sudden and dramatic conclusion in English Test cricket.
Following a turbulent run of seven defeats in nine matches, the England and Wales Cricket Board pulled the trigger on head coach Brendon McCullum’s tenure, relieving him of his red ball duties.
The charismatic New Zealander, who originally took over the Test squad before expanding his empire to inherit the limited-overs teams in early 2025, now finds himself in a fascinating professional paradox.
While his red ball tenure collapsed under the weight of heavy defeats against top sides, his white ball trajectory tells an entirely different story. This striking divergence raises a crucial question for English cricket: is McCullum better suited for the shorter formats of the game?
The tale of the win percentages
When assessing the raw data, McCullum leaves the Test arena with a respectable but ultimately flawed record. Across 49 Test matches in charge, he secured 27 victories alongside 20 defeats and a mere two draws, yielding a win rate slightly above 55 percent.
While this initially looked impressive for a side that had won just once in 17 matches before his arrival, the formula eventually stagnated.
Conversely, his white ball tenure has offered immediate numerical validation.
Despite a group stage exit at the 2025 Champions Trophy, he quickly rallied his troops, steering the Twenty20 squad to a ruthless peak that culminated in England claiming the top spot in the global rankings.
Key victories and the evolution of intent
The high points of his Test career were defined by breathtaking, historic chases.
Early in his tenure, McCullum oversaw dominant 3-0 sweeps against New Zealand and Pakistan, including a memorable day in Rawalpindi where England smashed 500 runs in a single day of Test cricket.
Yet, his white ball achievements feel more structurally sustainable. His crowning achievement came in the immediate lead-up to his Test dismissal, masterminding a resounding 4-0 demolition of India in a T20 series.
This clinical performance showed that while his ultra-aggressive style may be unsustainable over five gruelling days, it serves as a perfect blueprint for short-form dominance.
Also read: When will India let go of Gautam Gambhir?
 Standout moments and final hurdles
Every coaching era is judged by its defining moments. For McCullum’s Test side, the peak was arguably the thrilling 2-2 home Ashes draw in 2023, where fearlessness captured the public imagination.
However, the modern red ball era fell apart through a brutal 4-1 away Ashes defeat in Australia and a 2-1 home series loss against New Zealand.
In stark contrast, his white ball standout moment involves navigating the team to the semi-finals of the recent T20 World Cup, pushing eventual champions India to the limit.
The verdict
Ultimately, the limitations of Bazball in Test cricket became its undoing. The five-day game demands patience, tactical flexibility, and physical endurance, qualities that were occasionally rejected by McCullum’s rigid commitment to constant attack.
Limited-overs cricket, by its very nature, provides the perfect canvas for his philosophies. In the shorter formats, there is no need to preserve wickets for days or ponder complex declarations; every ball demands the exact aggression McCullum personifies.
Freed from the relentless scrutiny of the red ball role, the Kiwi looks perfectly primed to lead England toward silverware at the 2027 World Cup.
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