Excitement brews as Jos Buttler embarks on a fresh partnership with Brendon McCullum in white-ball cricket

New Delhi: England's white-ball captain Jos Buttler is excited about the opportunity to work alongside Brendon McCullum in the near future. McCullum, who previously coached England's Test team, has been appointed as the head coach for all three formats of the game in early September. This comes ahead of the upcoming white-ball series against Australia, and Buttler is looking forward to collaborating with McCullum.

Buttler, known for his aggressive nature of play, said he shared his mentality quite well with McCullum’s approach. He is obviously looking forward to tapping into all the learnings from former New Zealand cricketer and a close relationship with him will indeed keep him excited.

“I have a bit of a relationship with [Brendon McCullum] Baz but I’m looking forward to spending more time with him. I’m looking forward to digging into the cricket side of things. He will help me so much as a captain,” Buttler told during England’s 3rd T20I vs Australia.

“We’re similar in the way we see the game but just getting to spend time with him and opening my eyes to certain things or the other way around. For me, I want this to be the most enjoyable part of my career. I’ve played for a decent amount of time now so maybe a shift in the goalposts of what you really want to achieve and for me that’s helping guys become what they can be and building towards two big events later on,” he further added.

However, on 3 September, the England and Wales Cricket Board has revealed Brendon McCullum would assume the charge to coach the white-ball teams. Test team coach Brendon McCullum was contracted in terms of whose role was extended till end December 2027. As from January 2025 onwards, he would handle both the Test and white-ball teams, from England’s white-ball tour of India through the ICC Champions Trophy.

Until he formally takes over the role, Marcus Trescothick will be in charge as the Interim Head Coach for England’s white-ball series against Australia and the tour of the Caribbean in the latter half of the year. McCullum, who is now sharing all the accolades with the Test team, has been generally lauded by former skipper Eoin Morgan who himself recommended him for the white-ball coaching position. This follows in the wake of Matthew Mott resigning after the shock of not retaining the T20 World Cup.

Brendon McCullum expressed his excitement about expanding his responsibilities to include England’s white-ball teams. The former New Zealand batter shared that he is eager to embrace the new challenge and looks forward to collaborating closely with white-ball captain Jos Buttler. McCullum emphasized his readiness to continue building on England’s success across all formats.