{"id":192986,"date":"2026-07-13T02:16:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T07:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=192986"},"modified":"2026-07-13T02:16:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T07:46:26","slug":"england-opens-door-to-flower-return-after-mccullum-axed-as-test-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=192986","title":{"rendered":"England opens door to Flower return after McCullum axed as Test coach"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"content-body-71215876\">England has left the door ajar for Andy Flower to return as its Test coach after announcing on Sunday that Brendon McCullum had been sacked from his red-ball role.<\/p>\n<p>McCullum, who remains England\u2019s limited overs coach, paid the price for a run of seven defeats in nine Tests, including a woeful 4-1 Ashes series loss in Australia.<\/p>\n<p>The former New Zealand captain was retained as Test coach despite the Ashes humiliation but a recent 2-1 loss in England to his native Black Caps proved the final straw for the England and Wales Cricket Board hierarchy.<\/p>\n<p>ECB chief executive Richard Gould told reporters at Lord\u2019s on Sunday there is no requirement for McCullum\u2019s successor to be English and they may also be able to combine the role while still retaining a position in the lucrative T20 franchise Indian Premier League<\/p>\n<p>Zimbabwe cricket great Flower guided England to three Ashes series wins, including its last away triumph, during a five-year spell at the helm from 2009-14 that also saw the side climb to number one in the Test rankings.<\/p>\n<p><b>RELATED | <a href=\"https:\/\/sportstar.thehindu.com\/cricket\/mike-atherton-brendon-mccullum-sacking-test-team-head-coach-ashes-loses-vaughan-hussain\/article71214884.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2018Ashes hangover\u2019 led to Mccullum sacking, says Atherton<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p>Former England captain Nasser Hussain has urged the ECB to do everything they can to bring the \u201cmeticulous\u201d Flower back on board.<\/p>\n<p>One potential obstacle is that Flower is currently in charge of IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru.<\/p>\n<p><b>\u2018Progressive\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n<p>But Gould, who insisted he\u2019d had yet to have conversations with Flower or any other potential successor to McCullum, said the ECB were open to a possible job-share arrangement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think you\u2019ll find that we need to be progressive in these issues,\u201d said Gould.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere we have players trying to balance between county, franchise and international cricket, we may have to do the same with our coaching staff and support staff, but that is something we\u2019ll have to have a look at.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gould added an interim appointment may be needed for the upcoming three-Test campaign at home to Pakistan, although his preference was to have a full-time coach in place for a series opener at Headingley starting on August 19.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIdeally, we\u2019ll have someone in place for the Pakistan Test, but that also clashes with other franchise tournaments and international fixtures around the world,\u201d said Gould.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTherefore if we need to take a little bit longer to get the person we want, we\u2019ll take that time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McCullum\u2019s exit has followed the international retirement of former England Test captain Ben Stokes.<\/p>\n<p>But England managing director Rob Key remains in place, despite vocal criticism from 2005 Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan.<\/p>\n<p>Key has come under fire for overseeing a sharp decline in Test results as well as his handling of several off-field disciplinary problems, which led to new guidelines on alcohol being sent to England players this week.<\/p>\n<p>But the former England batsman received staunch backing from Gould on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has got a really good brain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is a good communicator, he has got extraordinary knowledge of what goes on within our game in England and he has spent the last four years in one of the most difficult jobs in English sport.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNone of us are immune to results, whether it is coach, captain, director of cricket or chief executive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe key is whatever changes we make, they are the ones most likely to bring the most rapid resolution to results we want.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"publish-time\" id=\"end-of-article\">Published on Jul 13, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/sportstar.thehindu.com\/cricket\/england-cricket-andy-flower-brendon-mccullum-test-coach-replacement\/article71215876.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>England has left the door ajar for Andy Flower to return as its Test coach after announcing on Sunday that Brendon McCullum had been sacked from his red-ball role. McCullum, who remains England\u2019s limited overs coach, paid the price for a run of seven defeats in nine Tests, including a woeful 4-1 Ashes series loss &#8230; <a title=\"England opens door to Flower return after McCullum axed as Test coach\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=192986\" aria-label=\"Read more about England opens door to Flower return after McCullum axed as Test coach\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":192987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-192986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DSC8378.JPG","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":192923,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=192923","url_meta":{"origin":192986,"position":0},"title":"Brendon Mccullum as Test Coach: Win-loss record, best wins, how he ranks for England all-time","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Brendon Mccullum stepped down as the England\u2019 Test coach on Sunday, bringing to an end a four year stint. Mccullum, who will continue to be the head coach of the team in ODIs and T20Is took over as England\u2019s Test coach in May 2022 following a 1-0 away series defeat\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-07T163629Z_1653900704_UP1EM771A4RKX_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-T20-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-07T163629Z_1653900704_UP1EM771A4RKX_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-T20-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-07T163629Z_1653900704_UP1EM771A4RKX_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-T20-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-07T163629Z_1653900704_UP1EM771A4RKX_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-T20-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-07T163629Z_1653900704_UP1EM771A4RKX_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-T20-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":192917,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=192917","url_meta":{"origin":192986,"position":1},"title":"Ashes hangover\u2019 led to Mccullum sacking, says Atherton","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Brendon McCullum\u2019s sacking as England Test coach announced Sunday is part of a \u201clong hangover\u201d from a woeful Ashes tour of Australia, according to former England captain Michael Atherton. McCullum will remain in charge of the white-ball set-up but England are now looking for both a new Test coach and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-12T143837Z_1550105316_RC2NLLAFP6O0_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-12T143837Z_1550105316_RC2NLLAFP6O0_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-12T143837Z_1550105316_RC2NLLAFP6O0_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-12T143837Z_1550105316_RC2NLLAFP6O0_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-12T143837Z_1550105316_RC2NLLAFP6O0_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL-PREVIEW.JPG?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":192927,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=192927","url_meta":{"origin":192986,"position":2},"title":"Brendon McCullum resigns as England coach \u2014 When is England\u2019s next Test match?","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"England announced on Sunday that Brendon McCullum has stepped down as the coach of its red-ball team following a string of poor results. McCullum will remain in charge of England\u2019s white-ball teams. His resignation comes immediately after a 1-2 home defeat to New Zealand, marked by the retirement of captain\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783899482_2026-07-07T163629Z_1653900704_UP1EM771A4RKX_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-T20-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783899482_2026-07-07T163629Z_1653900704_UP1EM771A4RKX_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-T20-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783899482_2026-07-07T163629Z_1653900704_UP1EM771A4RKX_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-T20-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783899482_2026-07-07T163629Z_1653900704_UP1EM771A4RKX_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-T20-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783899482_2026-07-07T163629Z_1653900704_UP1EM771A4RKX_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-T20-ENG-IND.JPG?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":188461,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=188461","url_meta":{"origin":192986,"position":3},"title":"Vaughan calls for England coaching staff makeover after Stokes exit","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Former England captain Michael Vaughan has urged head coach Brendon McCullum and director Rob Key to resign following Ben Stokes\u2019s retirement from international cricket. All-rounder Stokes, 35, announced the end of his reign as England captain and the finish of his celebrated international career on Sunday during a crushing 160-run\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_TH04VAUGHAN_2_1_Q8884S8O.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_TH04VAUGHAN_2_1_Q8884S8O.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_TH04VAUGHAN_2_1_Q8884S8O.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_TH04VAUGHAN_2_1_Q8884S8O.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_TH04VAUGHAN_2_1_Q8884S8O.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":192931,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=192931","url_meta":{"origin":192986,"position":4},"title":"Brendon McCullum steps down as England Test coach","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Brendon McCullum has stepped down as the England men\u2019s team Test coach. \u201cI\u2019ve absolutely loved coaching the Test side and I\u2019m incredibly proud of what we\u2019ve achieved together. There\u2019ve been some unbelievable highs and a few tough days along the way, but that\u2019s all part of taking on a challenge\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783903145_image2049.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783903145_image2049.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783903145_image2049.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783903145_image2049.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783903145_image2049.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":175869,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=175869","url_meta":{"origin":192986,"position":5},"title":"Bethell fit to play for England in Test series against New Zealand; coach McCullum calls for \u2019refined\u2019 Bazball","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"England No. 3 batter Jacob Bethell is fit to play the first Test against New Zealand starting on Thursday despite having to cut short his time in the Indian Premier League (IPL) because of a finger injury on his left hand. Bethell was forced to leave eventual IPL champion Royal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780410466_image2010.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780410466_image2010.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780410466_image2010.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780410466_image2010.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780410466_image2010.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgnRh4-OcG","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=192986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/192987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=192986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=192986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=192986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}