Bold England reset proves popular but remains big gamble

Putting an inexperienced but well-liked trio in charge of the Test side is a risky response to a run of disappointing results

Conservatism and caution. Those are the words associated with England cricket and its decision-making. More often than not, the accusations are correct.

The appointments to the top jobs since the Ashes overhaul cannot be described as cautious and conservative. Bold and risky would be better. All of a sudden, the red-ball “reset” has left the biggest decisions in the hands of the most inexperienced management group to ever lead England in Test cricket.

Rob Key was lured from commentary box to boardroom as director of cricket, with no experience of the role or of running budgets and recruitment processes. He captained Kent for nine years, and was more deeply involved in matters than just the first team, but it is a long way from a top job at a governing body. Ben Stokes has captained just one first-class match (a Test standing in for Joe Root), but at least it is one more than Brendon Mccullum has coached.

Mccullum does not have all his coaching badges and has never been in charge of a team in red-ball cricket, his career spent in franchises instead. There is every chance Paul Collingwood could be appointed head coach of the oneday team next week. It would be his first head coach’s role.

It leaves Eoin Morgan as the most experienced leader, with his position strengthened just when his powers are waning as a batsman by the appointment of his friend Mccullum to an influential role.

Mccullum is well liked by the England players. James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Stokes get on with him, and he is widely admired for turning New Zealand into a good team to watch and play against because they did not indulge in sledging. Key’s appointment of Mccullum has gone down well with senior players, but they have also played a large part in a failing team for two years. Sir Winston Churchill once gifted his godson a gold watch inscribed with the advice “never confuse leadership with popularity”. Was the popular choice the right one for England? Did those senior players need a jolt instead?

All the decisions are a gamble, risks based on hunches by Sir Andrew Strauss to appoint Key, and in turn his call to give the job to Mccullum. “Buckle up and get ready for the ride” Key said in the official statement announcing Mccullum’s appointment, colourful non-corporate language you would never have seen in an England and Wales Cricket Board media release before. There will be missteps, and patience will be required. The less glamorous jobs of national selector, and assistants to Mccullum, take on more importance. Mccullum acknowledges his success as captain of New Zealand owed much to the organisational skills of understated head coach Mike Hesson and the team manager, Mike Sandle.

England start the 2022 season on June 2 in a different place to a year ago with Ashley Giles, Chris Silverwood and Root. After his first sacking by England, Giles had rebuilt his career as a director of cricket at Lancashire and Warwickshire and by serving on boards for other sports, too.

Silverwood had graduated from the ECB’S level-four coaching programme and won the County Championship with Essex. He was rooted in the English system. Root was four years into his tenure when he set off on his second Ashes tour as captain. Experience, but equally banality and no sense of direction.

Now England have their first “celebrity” coach, Mccullum. He breeds race horses, has his own radio show in New Zealand and clothing range.

Mccullum and Stokes will give England purpose, and their newness to their roles means there is no baggage. Mccullum and Key have successful media careers. They have alternatives if England does not work out, which encourages braver decision-making. We know England will be positive, play cricket on the front foot and look to be aggressive.

Results can hardly worsen. It is a manageable run of fixtures to begin, too. New Zealand are Test world champions and made six changes to their team last summer and still hammered England at Edgbaston, but the bump from a new coach and captain could level the field. It is hard to imagine India will be prepared fully for the one-off Test, and South Africa are rebuilding.

England should not start the next Ashes in 2023 in crisis mode.

“I wasn’t interested in a cushy gig,” Mccullum said on his radio show yesterday. Perhaps experience will not matter in the end, and England will hope the popular choice was the right one.