McCullum wants England’s white-ball players to feel ‘bulletproof’

Brendon McCullum wants to make England’s white-ball team feel “10 feet tall and bulletproof” as he looks to strike up a winning partnership with Jos Buttler.
After two years in charge of the England Test team, who start the third Test against Sri Lanka at the Oval tomorrow, the charismatic New Zealander has been persuaded to double down on his commitment to English cricket by taking up the vacant limited-overs post and agreeing a contract extension that sees him through to 2027.
It had been widely anticipated that the ‘Bazball’ era would end after next winter’s Ashes tour but McCullum is now making plans to conquer all formats.
He expects Test skipper Ben Stokes to go “all in” with him on a red-ball journey, tipping the all-rounder to remain at the helm with him for the next three years and hopes to reinvigorate Buttler’s fortunes after two poor World Cup campaigns cost Matthew Mott his job.
McCullum will now oversee the next three global tournaments and wants to bring some fun to an environment that has become increasingly angsty in recent times.
“Yeah, he’s been a little bit miserable at times,” McCullum joked of Buttler, who will miss the forthcoming T20 series against Australia with a calf injury.
“He’s not naturally as expressive as some may be but I think he’s done a great job. He’s an incredibly gifted player and he’s a fine leader.
“My job is to get the best out of him so that all those guys that sit in the dressing room feel like they can be 10 foot tall and bulletproof when they walk out to play. I want them to know that the skipper is going to give them that extra pat on the back and and enjoy the ride with them.
“Jos and I actually start from a strong base. We know each other, we’re mates, we have similar styles of play. If he was to retire today, he’d go down as probably the greatest white-ball player England’s ever produced, so the opportunity for the next three or four years is just to enjoy it. Keep walking towards the danger, play with a smile on his face and try to do something really cool where you can look back and say ‘I really enjoyed those last few years’.”
McCullum, who begins his new wide-ranging brief in the new year, was speaking on the eve of the final Test of the summer against Sri Lanka.
England have five wins from five so far and can record their first perfect season since 2004 with one more victory at the Oval. That is testament to the work McCullum and Stokes have done since taking over in 2022, overseeing radical changes in outlook and personnel.
And it now seems likelier than ever that the pair will continue their work together for two more Ashes campaigns.
“The skipper and I haven’t spoken about that actually but I’m assuming he’s all in. He seems like that sort of bloke,” said McCullum.
“He’s been incredible and our relationship is fantastic. You never know where the game’s going globally and what sort of opportunities will pop up for him which will challenge him but I know how invested he is in English cricket and how determined he is to drive this team forward. I would assume that will involve him being in charge for that period of time.”
McCullum is also keen to explore Stokes’ uncertain limited-overs future after the all-rounder sat out this summer’s T20 World Cup to focus on his red-ball game.
“In regards to the white-ball, why not?” he said.
“There’ll be times where they can’t play everything, so there’ll be some bilateral series where we simply can’t have all of our best players playing at the same time. But when it comes to major events and big series, I think those players are very much in those discussions. Ben loves big moments and big stages.”
As for his own ability to stay sharp and fully focused as his workload expands, McCullum was bullish.
“I don’t see it being a problem. There may be times where it’s tested, but that’s the exciting part,” he said.
“As a player, I had a pretty good ability to be able to turn the page, because I was very inconsistent. I needed to turn the page quickly. It’s going to be an added workload that’s for sure, but some bets are worth it, right?”
PA