LONDON: Brendon McCullum has left his role as England’s Test head coach but will remain in charge of the national limited-overs set-up, with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Richard Gould saying results had made his red-ball position untenable.

England have lost seven of their last nine Tests under the former New Zealand captain. This includes a woeful 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia in 2025/26 and last month’s 2-1 loss at home to New Zealand, with both series overshadowed by allegations of a team drinking culture.

“I’ve absolutely loved coaching the Test side and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together,” said McCullum in an ECB statement.

“Of course I’m gutted not to be continuing, but I respect the decision.”

Former England captain Ben Stokes announced his international retirement during what turned out to a crushing defeat in the series finale against New Zealand at Trent Bridge — the final match of McCullum’s red-ball reign.

McCullum’s time as Test boss started in remarkable fashion as Stokes led England to 3-0 series wins over New Zealand and in Pakistan, where 500 runs were scored in one day, before a thrilling 2-2 home Ashes in 2023.

But 4-1 losses in India and Australia exposed the limits of England’s ‘one size fits all approach’.

After a winning start to the New Zealand series, fresh off-field problems saw Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson omitted from the second Test after breaking a midnight team curfew in a London bar.

England are now looking for a new Test coach and captain ahead of next month’s series at home to Pakistan.

‘RESULTS BUSINESS’

After the Ashes, Gould — the son of former football manager Bobby Gould — warned against a football-style culture of summarily hiring and firing coaches.

But on Sunday, while praising McCullum for “breathing new life” into the Test side, Gould told reporters at Lord’s: “Unfortunately, the results have not gone the way that we wanted them to go.

“It’s always been a results-based business,” said Gould, adding McCullum was “cognisant of that”.

“Results mean we need to make a change,” insisted Gould, with 10 Tests for England between now and next year’s Ashes on home soil.

Only England managing director Rob Key, criticised for England’s lack of preparation ahead of the Ashes in Australia, remains from a Test leadership trio that once included Stokes and McCullum.

But Gould defended Key, saying he had a “really good brain and was a good communicator”.

“None of us are immune to results, whether it’s coach, captain, director of cricket, or chief executive,” said Gould, who argued the England men’s and women’s teams recent appearances in a T20 World Cup semi-final and final, respectively were proof “we do not have a broken system in English cricket”.

Key, an ex-England batsman, said McCullum, who won 25 of his 44 Tests in charge, had left the red-ball team “well-set and poised to achieve great things”.

Sunday’s announcement came the day after England’s white-ball side went to No. 1 in the T20 rankings following a 56-run thrashing of India in Southampton that completed a 4-0 series sweep of the T20 world champions.

“My focus now is on giving everything I’ve got to the white-ball teams and helping England keep moving forward,” said McCullum, 44, who took on the role of England limited-overs coach in 2024.

There have long been calls for Andy Flower to have a second stint as England coach. The Zimbabwe cricket great was in charge from 2009-2014 and oversaw three successful Ashes campaigns, including their last away success in 2010-11.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports that Flower’s “meticulous” approach was something lacking from the current England side.

“what has been lacking in this England Test match side”.

Flower, however, is currently the coach of IPL side Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

But Gould said that just as the ECB had learned to accommodate players’ IPL commitments, they would now be open to letting a new Test coach combine that role with an assignment in the lucrative Indian T20 franchise competition.

“I think we need to be progressive in these issues,” said Gould. “We may well have to do the same with coaching staff [as we have with England players].”

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2026