• 3 months ago
Brendon McCullum on taking charge of all England men's cricket ahead of Sri Lanka final test

05/09/2024

The Oval, London, UK
Transcript
00:00Thanks for your patience guys. We'll just do an all in usual process. We'll start with
00:05you, Sky Sports News, and then Joe.
00:09Alright, see ya.
00:15These mics, can I put these down a bit?
00:21Huh?
00:24Bit shorter than others.
00:27Camera's all good at the back? Excellent. Over to you James, go ahead.
00:31Brendan, you're extending your contract to 2027, taking on all formats. What do you feel
00:36now is the right time to take on that added responsibility and of course the added workload?
00:42Yeah, it's going to be an added workload, that's for sure, but that's alright. Sometimes
00:46the bets are worth it, right? So I think, you know, firstly when Kesey asked me, is
00:50there a world in which you can do, I guess, all jobs across all formats, I sort of had
00:58a bit of a think about it and obviously chatted to my wife and then it didn't take a whole
01:03lot of persuading to be honest. I think a couple of years ago when I came here I wasn't,
01:07I didn't have a whole lot of knowledge about English cricket, I didn't know a whole lot
01:11of people and fast forward two years, I've had a great time, absolutely loved being in
01:16the position I'm in. I think I've got a lot more knowledge about the people and the talent
01:21that sit with English cricket and also the structures and how things operate and I've
01:26also built some great friendships with some of the guys, the coaches and the support staff
01:30etc. So I know that you're not going at this one alone, you're going to have some great
01:35support and ultimately I looked at the opportunity and I thought what a great chance to have
01:42good crack.
01:43And how will you manage the increased workload and the schedule, have you thought about that?
01:48Yeah, probably going to be a little bit more engaged when I'm at home and bring the family
01:54along for the ride a little bit more but look I think if we look at the schedule it's definitely
02:01easing. I think over the last two years it would have been nigh on impossible for anyone
02:05to do all three formats and I think hence why we went down the split coaches route.
02:13Now with the schedule easing, I'll say slightly easing but easing enough I think it gives
02:19you the ability to be able to have one person in the role. There will be times where we'll
02:26have to be smart with stepping players and also support staff in and out and that will
02:33include myself as well but I don't see that as a problem. Ultimately I'm happy to be governed
02:39by the results and be the one that's in the gun if things don't work out but there's some
02:43opportunities there for some of the other coaches which sit within our group at the
02:48moment to actually step up and run the team in a head coach capacity just like Tres is
02:54going to do over the next series as well. So I think that's great because ultimately
02:59when I bugger off in three and a half years or whatever you want the next group of coaches
03:06or those who that you've been able to bring along to be viable head coach candidates and
03:11it should last a lot longer than the time that you're there. So whilst it's a challenge
03:16I also see it as an opportunity.
03:18There's a view that the White Bull side is stale, stagnant. Do you agree with that and
03:22how much re-energising do you think it needs?
03:25Look I think firstly we need to acknowledge that the White Bull side has been through
03:31a bit of a dynasty from the time that Morg started it and from then they've won a couple
03:37of World Cups and we've seen some once in a generation players all come through at the
03:41same time. Some of those guys are now coming towards the end of their careers so there's
03:46a natural regeneration which is going to be required and that's the bit that really excites
03:51me because I look around the talent within English cricket and a lot of that talent particularly
03:56in White Bull stuff, they've learnt how to play from those once in a generation cricketers
04:01that are now moving on so it's a great compliment to them. I think we've got some opportunities
04:07to introduce some of that talent, to mix it and blend it with some of the guys who are
04:12still operating who have got the experiences and have been a part of that success over
04:16a period of time and we try and I guess bring the positivity and the style that I like to
04:22operate with across all formats. I think it will give us a good chance of being successful.
04:27Josh Butler's position has been questioned as well, how confident are you that he is
04:31the man to take this White Bull team forward?
04:33Very, I'm very confident. So when I started this gig with the Test side, Stokes and I
04:40knew each other, we had a natural respect for each other but you wouldn't say we were
04:44mates, we got on alright but we weren't really mates. What we've developed over the last
04:48couple of years is a very close friendship, we're to the point I call him a very close
04:53mate and as much as you're trying to do this stuff for cricketing reasons and to try and
04:57be successful, ultimately you want good friendships and relationships to develop to last far longer
05:02than the time that you've got in the job. Josh and I actually start from a stronger
05:07position, we know each other, we're mates, we have similar understanding of, well similar
05:14styles of playing our own game. What I want from Josh I guess is for him to enjoy the
05:20next few years. If he was to retire today, he'd go down as one of the, probably the greatest
05:26White Bull player England's ever produced. So his opportunity over the next three, four
05:30years, however long he plays for while he's captaining England, is to just enjoy it, not
05:35protect anything, just get the most out of all those guys around him, keep walking towards
05:39the danger, play with a smile on his face and just try and do something which is really
05:44cool, which he can look back on and say, gee I enjoyed those last few years and that'll
05:48be my job is to keep pushing him towards that and I'm sure our relationship will go from
05:54mates, well I hope our relationship will go from mates to very good mates too.
05:57Finally for me, you mentioned Ben Stokes, does you extending your contract to 27 mean
06:02he will continue as Red Bull captain to 27 and what vision do you have for him in terms
06:08of his White Bull future, have you talked about that with him?
06:10Skipper and I haven't spoken about that actually but I'm assuming he's all in, I don't know,
06:17but he seems like that sort of bloke. I think he's been incredible right and our relationship
06:24is fantastic. You never know where the game's going globally and what opportunities will
06:30pop up for him which will challenge him but I know how invested he is in English cricket
06:36and how determined he is to drive this team forward so I'd assume that that would involve
06:43him being in charge for that period of time even though he's building a group of leaders
06:48around him that are growing and prospering in those leadership roles too. In regards
06:54to the White Bull, yeah why not, I guess we'll see again where he sits. I think he loves
07:03big moments and he loves big stages as we will have to do with all our players, there
07:08will be times where they can't play everything so there will be some bilateral series where
07:14we simply can't have all of our best players playing at the same time but when it comes
07:19to major events and big series I think those players are very much in those discussions.
07:28Brendan, I'm sure English cricket fans are realistic, they won't expect you to win everything
07:32they've probably settled for the next 50 over World Cup in the ashes, do you think
07:36that's feasible? Yeah we'll see what happens but I think why not. Obviously I love winning
07:46as well, that's the ultimate goal, that's what we're judged on, the wins and the losses
07:52that's how your roles are defined and how they're determined eventually but everyone
08:00wants to win, every single team out there wants the same so if it's as simple as we
08:04can win then it needs to have a bit more grunt than that. For us it's about trying to create
08:10an environment where guys feel positive, they feel like they can allow their talent to come
08:15out, they become better versions of themselves, they're able to make better decisions and
08:20they understand ultimately how to shift pressure onto opposition in key moments in games and
08:24that doesn't matter whether it's test cricket, one day cricket or T20 cricket, it's able
08:29to block out the noise, it's able to be present in that moment and it's able to be able to
08:36hopefully ultimately get success because of the cricketers you become so look we'll see
08:40where we land but there's some pretty good talent around here and no reason why we shouldn't
08:45be in the run-in. Yeah I'll just pick up on that if I can, you've some really interesting
08:49selections, I mean Josh over here, in terms of what you said at the start about getting
08:53to know everything about English cricket, I mean there are a lot of professional cricketers
08:57in England playing across four different formats, do you think there is a structure
09:02there to enable you to have the best group of players in the world when it comes to international
09:07cricket? Look I think India's got an incredible resource pool, they just keep producing talent
09:18after talent after talent and they've got obviously sheer numbers as well but there's
09:24no reason with the passion for the game in this country, the history and traditions of
09:29the game in this country, the fact that it's incredibly well supported and the talent structure
09:35and the talent pool that sits within this country, there's no reason why it can't be
09:40challenging India in that regard for all the major titles, there's no reason why not, I
09:47guess ultimately that's probably my job I've got to work out but yeah there's certainly
09:53no reason why not, great talent sits within English cricket, it's about realising that
09:57talent and bringing it together for one common vision. You made it clear at the start of
10:04this summer that you were rebuilding the team with the Ashes in mind and sort of making
10:08some big calls to try and push the team on for that next big target, is there any danger
10:14at all that doing this job is going to spread you a little bit thin and maybe take that
10:20laser focus, spread it a wee bit thin and take you away from that goal? I don't think
10:25so but we'll find out, I think as a player I had a pretty good ability to be able to
10:34turn the page because I was very inconsistent and I needed to turn the page quickly, I think
10:41that sort of taught me a lot of skills around being able to compartmentalise and to be able
10:45to treat success and failure in the same breath and not let it affect the vision that you
10:51have for the team and the direction that you want things to go. So now whilst it'll be
10:56on a broader sense across different formats I still ultimately have conviction in where
11:03you think you can take a team and the decisions you make along the way are always geared towards
11:08those. I don't see it being a problem, there may be times where it's tested but that's
11:13the exciting part of doing jobs like this right, is you are tested and you are put under
11:19pressure at times and you are challenged about the methods that you have and the vision that
11:24you have and it's a matter of remaining firm to that and still having the clarity to be
11:28able to get the players that you've got and the environment that you've got to excel.
11:34Laurence and we'll do Julian and then Will.
11:38Just wondering what you've learnt about Oli Pope as a captain and what conversations
11:43have any of you had with him about the fact that he's not quite at the series he would
11:47have wanted with the bat?
11:49Yeah look I think Pope, I mean there was only a couple of tests ago, he was scoring runs
11:54and playing really well right, I think you take a couple of options and test cricket
12:00and sometimes it doesn't work out. Number three is a very difficult place to bat over
12:04here, he's done a great job for us over the last couple of years in that position and
12:10he would have loved to have scored more runs since he's taken over the captaincy but you
12:15don't always get what you wish for right and he still hasn't, in my mind hasn't affected
12:19his leadership which is very important. I think he's grown a lot in two tests too,
12:26I think his best session in charge was probably the last session of the match where he became
12:31ultra aggressive and put a lot of pressure on Sri Lanka with the fields that he set and
12:37the carrots that he dangled. He's been great, I've been totally impressed with how Pope
12:46has been able to handle the job so far and that's great because ultimately, you know
12:51Stokesy is our leader and ultimately you need to make sure that the things don't come crashing
12:56down if your leader's not there for a series or two and it's great credit to Stokesy that
13:01he's put faith in Pope and it's great credit to Pope that he's been able to stand up and
13:05there's other guys as well that have stood up over the last few tests in those leadership
13:09capacities so it's good, we're improving.
13:12Can I just ask about Joss, you said you want him to enjoy himself, has your sense been
13:17over the last couple of years that that hasn't been the case?
13:20Yeah, he's been a little bit miserable in there at times, I think he's not naturally
13:27as expressive as what some may be but I think he's done a great job, he's won a World Cup,
13:37as captain he's been part of World Cup winning teams previously as well, he's an incredibly
13:44gifted player, he's a fine leader, my job is to get the best out of him so that all
13:50those that sit in the dressing room feel like they can be ten foot tall and bulletproof
13:54when they walk out to play and they know that the skipper's going to give them that extra
13:58pat on the back and enjoy the ride with them so it's a great challenge, I'm so excited
14:05about it and I know that Joss is too which is great and I also know that Stokesy's really
14:10at peace with and excited about me taking on those roles too which was a very important
14:17part for me too.
14:20Since you've taken over as in charge of the test team, you've given a lot of debuts to
14:24young players based more on their skill set and potential for improvement rather than
14:30just county averages and domestic form but even by those standards Joss Hull is quite
14:37some pick, what is it that you've seen in him that makes you think he's ready for test cricket?
14:44I think firstly we need to identify and it's county cricket and test cricket are probably
14:50slightly different games and if we were putting together a county side it would look a little
14:56bit different to what it looks in a test side and hence why our understanding of what counties
15:02are doing and the decisions that they make, they might not always line up with us and
15:06that's cool, we don't do stuff in spite of that, we completely understand they have a
15:11different job to do.
15:13What we're trying to achieve is bring some of these guys who we see as rough diamonds
15:18with incredibly high ceilings, bring them into an environment where we think we're able
15:23to shape them and give them the opportunities and hasten the process of them getting to
15:29the level that we think they can get at.
15:32The talent we've introduced has exceeded expectations if I'm being totally honest.
15:37I think you always hope the guys go well early but you're not after that instant gratification
15:41when you pick them.
15:42If you're doing that then I think you're guessing.
15:45We look at these guys and we go we think they're going to be good, it might take a bit of time
15:50but they're worth investing in.
15:51Zach Crawley was a good example of that a couple of years ago.
15:55Some of these other guys that have come in have done it quicker than what I thought they
15:59would do and that's incredibly encouraging and probably testament to the leadership of
16:03Stokes and the leaders within the set up.
16:07Josh Hull, six foot heaps, bows left arm, ranges in pace from 80 to 90 miles an hour,
16:15swings it not too dissimilar to the likes of Jimmy Anderson.
16:21He's 20 years of age, good farming stock.
16:25I mean it's not a huge gamble is it?
16:29I mean it might not be this test match, it might not go that well but it doesn't matter
16:34and that's because ultimately he's someone that we look at is going to be able to provide
16:39us with another string to our bow, another weapon that is going to make us a more rounded
16:47side that can challenge teams in various conditions.
16:50The foot marks that he's going to present as well for show up this year will be interesting.
16:54It will give Bash a lot of excitement too.
16:59But again I stress if this isn't the week and we're all super excited for Josh that
17:04he's going to play tomorrow and we hope he goes well.
17:07He might go out there and take 10 foot, we've got no idea.
17:11But it kind of doesn't matter because we see him as someone that's worth investing in,
17:15worth giving opportunities to and whatever happens we'll wrap our arm around him and
17:20make sure that he knows that he's firmly in our sights for the future.
17:31Brendan on a similar note, you've obviously won five tests this summer but do you kind
17:36of feel that the changes you've made to your test team this summer have set you on
17:40the team on the path for the remainder of your time in charge which is obviously now
17:45a bit longer than it was going to be?
17:47Do you think that path has been set if you like?
17:51Yeah look I think if we look back to India and we all sat around in India, those that
17:55travelled over there and we talked about the need for refinement and I guess what I meant
18:01by that refinement is that not so much about we need to stop playing as many shots with
18:06a bat, that's certainly not what I meant.
18:08What I meant was that we need to look at trying to provide ourselves with a slight freshen
18:13up of personalities and types of players that's going to give us more ammunition, particularly
18:18with the ball, to be able to compete against the best teams in varied conditions around
18:23the world.
18:24Naturally our batting line-up has matured because over two years now it's been pretty
18:30much the same nucleus of players and there's a familiarity around each other's games
18:36which is starting to develop.
18:38People are happy that Joe Root does what Joe Root does, Ben Duckett does what Ben Duckett
18:42does, Harry Brook does what Harry Brook does etc etc.
18:46It's sort of like we don't all want to be the same when it comes to a batting side.
18:51We want these guys to be the best versions of themselves and from a bowling point of
18:56view we want those varied skills to be able to complement one another to make a strong
19:01attack in different conditions.
19:03So I think there has been a refinement from that point of view.
19:06I think there's been a slight hardness of mentality, of understanding when the games
19:11are on the line and trying to shift pressure onto opposition.
19:15I think we've been tested, it says 5-0, make no mistake, we've been tested this summer.
19:20There's been a lot of test matches where it could have gone either way and without that
19:27understanding of when the pressure is on, the games on the line and how to shift pressure
19:31back onto the opposition, the results may be different.
19:34So that's a really pleasing aspect along with the emergence and development of the
19:40talent that's come in.
19:41Just quickly, there's a few reports out of Pakistan that the test series there might
19:46be shifted, have you guys heard anything about that?
19:48Yeah, well we don't really know but we can't pick a team until we know where we're going
19:52to play.
19:53So it would be nice if over the next couple of days we found out and then we'll sit down
19:59and make sure we've got the right team for the right conditions and the right opposition.
20:04One each please, Will and then John.
20:09This actually just follows on from the answer you were giving about how you've been tested
20:12this summer.
20:13You have got a chance to win all six this summer, which will be the first time England
20:16have had a 100% record in a home summer for 20 years.
20:19I'm just wondering how you view the health of the world game and the international game
20:23in particular overall.
20:24When you started in the test role you were talking about trying to breathe fresh life
20:28into test cricket.
20:29Do you think that's been achieved or do you have concerns that perhaps there is a gap
20:32widening between the so-called big three and the chasing pack?
20:41Do I have a view on it?
20:44Well I think we've been involved in some great series, right?
20:47The Ashes last year was an absolute ripping series.
20:50Even India, I know we went down 4-1 but that was a cracking series too where we had our
20:54chances.
20:56South Africa a couple of years ago, New Zealand series.
20:59West Indies was hard fought, albeit results our way.
21:02Sri Lanka has been hard fought.
21:06I think the skill set of the teams across world cricket is still strong.
21:13Obviously we've got a great landscape in regards to the fan base that we have here in England
21:19that it's still really well supported and there's a lot of investment in the game.
21:24A couple of those other countries, the bigger countries, have that same backing.
21:29Some of the smaller ones or some of the lesser known ones maybe not so much or lesser funded
21:33ones not so much.
21:35So that is a slight concern I think because ideally you want every single series you play
21:41to be played in front of the most amount of people you can, enjoyed by the most amount
21:45of people you can and also as challenging as what you possibly can as well so that the
21:52product is at the highest.
21:55There is some challenges there.
21:56I don't have the answers, Ali, to be honest.
21:59I've racked my brains as well at times when I've been asked about the health or direction
22:03of Test Crew.
22:04I don't have the answers.
22:07But it would be nice if it was competitive and well supported and well funded across
22:13the entire world game.
22:15John and then we'll go to Ali.
22:17Brilliant.
22:20Brendan, I know you don't always like to think too far ahead but after that next Ashes series
22:25did you think you were probably going to be done with English cricket or had you already
22:29started to think I might want to stay on or was it just this dual role that persuaded
22:33you to give an extra two years to English cricket?
22:38I hadn't really thought about it to be honest.
22:40I was just cracking on with what we were doing.
22:43I think it was only really once Keezy asked me is there a world in which you can do all
22:47roles and then you start going well there is but if we're going to do this then we can
22:54do it for a natural cycle up until 2027 and that seemed to be the right fit for everyone.
23:02So I think it's worked out really well.
23:04I'm happy.
23:05It's going to be busy but it's exciting and the bet's worth it.
23:09Cheers.

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