Speaking at his first press conference as England's red-ball head coach, McCullum addressed the Anderson-Broad situation, selection decisions and his emotions ahead of facing his native New Zealand in his first series at the helm
Brendon McCullum’s appointment as England men’s Test coach came from left field and took everyone by surprise, but his first press conference at Lord’s started to lift the fog around it.
Yes he has an attacking mentality, but perhaps more importantly he will try to declutter the team’s heads, especially the batsmen, as he tries to arrest a run of only one win in 17 matches.
"It’s been a difficult time for the England side," he said. "I feel a bit sorry for the guys in charge for the last 12 to 18 months because they have been travelling around in bubbles and the challenges of the pandemic have made it difficult. I had a few conversations with them, and it’s clear one or two losses started to build into something.
"My job will be to try to take away some of those pressures, and build some enthusiasm. I’ve spoken to Andy Flower and Trevor Bayliss (previous overseas coaches of England). They were unanimous, I need to take pressure away from the guys. An English coach is perhaps a bit more involved and invested in that mentality.
"When a new guy takes over the team can get a bit of a boost. Hopefully that will translate into performances. I have to look around and see where things sit comfortably and see where we might make some changes, but I’m looking forward to the challenge."
An attacking player, McCullum scored a century in his final Test appearance for New Zealand in 2016 [Ryan Pierse/Getty Images]
Understandably he didn’t embroil himself with selection for the first Test against his compatriots New Zealand, although he did tune in via Zoom from 'the Land of the Long White Cloud' for the meeting. Asked who he selected, he said: "Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Stuart Broad and James Anderson!"
When the laughs died down, he continued: "I don’t have the intricate knowledge some of the guys have sitting in on that panel. Respectfully I sat back a bit. I have an idea about how we should play, and the skipper (Stokes) shares that as well.
"I know that there was not a massive difference to the team that’s been playing previously. There will be a couple of subtle changes, like having Ollie Pope at No.3. I know what his potential is. We’re giving him an opportunity in a position which has been difficult. If he nails it then the middle order looks very good."
Pope will bat at No.3, even though he hasn’t played there for Surrey. McCullum, 40, was a risk-taker as a batsman in his Tests (6,453 runs at 38.64, 12 hundreds): is this what he will be like as a coach – bearing in mind this is the first time he has coached in first-class cricket?
"I think there are going to be risks, definitely, any time you introduce a player into a slightly unfamiliar role there’s a risk. The upside is if he’s able to nail a position like that then one of the biggest challenges over the last 18 months is taken care of.
"There will be times where you do make mistakes, you take risks and they don’t work but you just have to keep making decisions and not be too caught up on the ones you get wrong. You have that belief you’re going to get there in the end."
So will it be 'attack, attack, attack' from the man who signed off in Test cricket with a knock of 145 from 79 balls against Australia at Christchurch six years ago? "It would be a little against type for the skipper and myself if we went in there and it was full of negativity.
"I think you’ll see a positive environment. I think it’s important to identify that we don’t want every player playing like how Stokesy plays and how I played. It’s a matter of trying to find the best versions of players, trying to bring those qualities out in each and identify that some naturally travel at a different speed to others. We’ll try to piece it together.
Brendon McCullum hopes his relationship with Ben Stokes will mirror the captain-coach relationship he had with Mike Hesson [Mark Tantrum/Getty Images]
"The captain-coach relationship is vital. I don’t know Ben that well. I’ve played against him a number of times and followed from afar. He plays the game how I like it to be played and puts bums on seats. It needs to be a really tight bond there. You don’t have to be the best of mates but I think you have to have a really clear vision of where you want to go and you both have to align with that.
"As my job as coach it’s to fill in the gaps for Stokesy because I want him to be the most authentic person he can be, lead the way he wants to be. There may be times I have to pull him back and times when I might have to push him forward.
"That’s how it worked with Mike Hesson and myself (with New Zealand). I was probably a little more cavalier and he was a little more structured and planned. You just make sure as a coach – and I’m not the most structured of people – you put some people around you who have that structure and who can fill those voids.”
Asked which assistant coaches he wants, he said: "There’s some good people involved in that set-up at the moment and I want to find out where the real diamonds are. There might be some in there who fill all of those gaps and tick all those boxes that you’re after anyway. If not I’m not afraid to make changes.
"You have Rooty there with an immense amount of experience as a captain and his ability to now fall into a leadership position without title is going to be a real key transition for him. If we get that right it provides a nice layer of leadership around Stokesy. You obviously have Broad and Anderson with their immense amount of experience. It’s vitally important you have leaders across the entire system."
Asked if he had any trepidation about handling the veteran duo, he said: "I’m looking forward to working with them. I probably looked at them a few years ago and I thought it was going to be a time where England would have to transition to the next stage. But it just shows how tough they are physically and how tough they are mentally and how driven they are to perform. I’m looking forward to sitting down with them and chatting about what they want out of the next few years.
"Who knows when that time is. I haven't got a definitive date on it. And I'm sure they don't either just yet. But for now, we should enjoy the fact we've got 280 Test matches sitting in our bowling unit and guys have been there and done it before. It'd be great if they were at the forefront of the next kind of development in the side."
He once had a famous 'no d***head culture' in the New Zealand squad – can we see that tag being adopted now with England? "I don’t go with any preconceived ideas as to what people are like. I'm quite a social person. I enjoy spending time with people and getting to know people and building relationships. That’ll be very much what I look to try and do within the England set-up. Naturally there'll be some guys who you have to push along the way at times and hopefully, you don't lose anyone along the road.
McCullum hopes Joe Root will support Ben Stokes as captain and form a leadership group with Broad and Anderson [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]
"But there have been times in the past where we just weren't quite able to get someone to the point where their contribution to the team beyond the runs and wickets was significant. So once that happens then your runs and wickets become very scrutinised. I think it's a lot easier to achieve success as a team if you're harmonious.
"It doesn't mean you will have to say the same thing or do the same thing. But if everyone's naturally just trying to do the best for the side then you can achieve some pretty good things in a short period of time."
He was asked if it will be strange to face New Zealand, with the three-Test series starting next Thursday.
"It’s going to take a bit of time to get used to. It will be difficult no doubt to look across to their balcony at times. I’m a staunch Kiwi, proud of my heritage and upbringing. I feel I left the side as captain better than when I took over. I’ll keep looking out for those guys, but this is a job where I have been tasked with bringing about change. These sort of opportunities don’t come around too often, hence why I’m prepared to change my life for it. It’s an enticing opportunity.
"New Zealand are a good cricket team but if we play properly we’ll give ourselves a good chance. Over time it will be about being competitive; in the Ashes it’s about winning, or being difficult to beat.
"I wasn’t tempted by the one-day job. My skills are not necessarily around taking a side from good to great, it’s about working with a team being in a bit of trouble to one that can have long-term and sustainable success. I look to what England achieved in white ball under the leadership of Eoin Morgan, my great mate, and I hope to that with Ben and this side."
English Test fans have been pretty depressed by five straight series defeats, and McCullum seems aware of the task ahead to lift the gloom. "If Test cricket is going to survive and thrive then England have to be at the top of the tree. If the Ashes isn't competitive or if England aren’t vying for No.1 positions, then Test cricket is in trouble."
McCullum the player thrived on pressure, let’s hope he can do it again now as coach.
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