BBC Sport
England have appointed former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum as men’s Test coach on a four-year deal. McCullum, 40, will be in place for England’s first Test against world champions New Zealand at Lord’s on 2 June, succeeding Chris Silverwood, who left his position in February following the heavy Ashes defeat in Australia. McCullum said he is aiming to “move the team forward into a more successful era” alongside new captain Ben Stokes, adding: “In taking this role on, I am acutely aware of the significant challenges the team faces at present, and I strongly believe in my ability to help the team emerge as a stronger force once we’ve confronted them head-on.” England are winless in nine Tests and have only won one of their past 17 matches.
McCullum, who retired from playing in 2019, has never coached in first-class cricket but played 101 Tests for New Zealand from 2004 to 2016. He scored 6,453 Test runs at an average of 38.64, with 12 hundreds — including the fastest Test century of all time, off just 54 balls against Australia in 2016 — and captained New Zealand to the 2015 50-over World Cup final. ECB managing director Rob Key said: “I believe in Brendon and Ben Stokes — a formidable coach and captain partnership. Time for us all to buckle up and get ready for the ride.”
In a separate story, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed his side will be without midfielder Fabinho for Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley, after the Brazilian came off with a hamstring injury in Tuesday’s win at Aston Villa. Fabinho will also miss Liverpool’s final two league games but Klopp hopes he will be fit in time for the Champions League final on 28 May. Liverpool are second, three points behind defending champions Manchester City with two games remaining.