New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum admitted that failing to beat Australia and India in the marquee Test series ultimately left him feeling his side had fallen short, as he reflected on his four-year stint in charge after stepping down from the role.
The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed on Sunday that McCullum’s four-year stint as England’s Test coach had come to an end. During his tenure, England won 27 of their 49 Tests, losing 20 and drawing two, but the team struggled to deliver in the marquee series against Australia and India.
England managed to draw 2-2 at home against Australia in the 2023 Ashes and against India in 2025, but suffered heavy 1-4 away defeats to both sides. They also ended their Test campaign with a 1-2 home series loss to New Zealand, prompting the end of his tenure with the red-ball side.
McCullum admitted England did not achieve what they had set out to do in the format.
“I don’t think we got what we wanted really. Fundamentally, you want to be winning the big series. India and Australia are the marquee series and if you don’t win those you haven’t quite been able to achieve what you wanted to.
“I thought we had opportunities against both of those quality oppositions and we achieved some good stuff over the four years but, fundamentally, the results didn’t live up to it at the back end, hence the decision was made,” he said while reflecting on his stint with the red-ball side.
McCullum, however, will continue as England’s head coach in the limited over formats, and has now turned his full attention to England’s preparations for the 2027 ICC 50-over World Cup. Since winning the 2019 ODI World Cup, England finished seventh at the 2023 World Cup and failed to win a match at the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Despite those setbacks, McCullum remains optimistic.
“I think I’m super excited about the white ball side. The T20 side is obviously in a pretty good space at the moment, the one-day side we’ve got some work to do but I’m confident we’ll be able to continue making improvements.
“With a World Cup not too far away we’ve got an opportunity to be a realistic chance of lifting the trophy, not just for the guys in the dressing room but all the fans who support this team. That’s where my focus is at the moment,” he added.