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Brendon McCullum is reportedly set to be sacked as England's Test head coach, with an official announcement expected to be made soon by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
However, there is still a possibility that McCullum could continue as the head coach of England's white-ball teams. The New Zealander has been under heavy pressure after England's poor Test performances, especially the disappointing Ashes campaign in Australia. Amid this, Jos Buttler surpasses MS Dhoni, scripts historic T20I record against India in Southampton.
Brendon McCullum set to lose England job, official announcement expected soon
Well, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had previously backed McCullum after a review earlier this year following Ashes 2025-26, but fresh reports now suggest that the board has decided to sack the former New Zealand captain as the Test head coach.
As reported by the 7Cricket journalist, the ECB is preparing for a major shakeup in the red-ball setup after Ben Stokes’ retirement from international cricket. They have already made it clear to Brendon McCullum that they can’t continue with him in Test cricket.
But McCullum's future as England’s white-ball head coach has not yet been decided. The report revealed that the discussions are still ongoing between the ECB board members and McCullum, but the final decision on his position is yet to be confirmed.
Major news out of England - Brendon McCullum is set to be sacked as Test coach.
— Tom Morris (@tommorris32) July 12, 2026
Formal announcement as early as today. Still a chance he will continue leading the white ball teams.
Full coverage on The New Ball with @beastieboy07, Tuesday night 8pm on SEN. @7Cricket @1116sen…
Brendon McCullum's possible exit follows England's dressing room controversies
The decision comes only a few months after the ECB reviewed the disappointing Ashes campaign and decided to continue with McCullum and managing director Rob Key. McCullum's possible exit comes after several off-field controversies involving the England national cricket team.
The England team management recently introduced stricter rules for players to improve discipline during international series. Under the new rules, England players have been told not to drink alcohol on the day before a match and on the day after a match.
The decision was taken after concerns over the team's behavior during recent international assignments. A midnight curfew had already been introduced after England's disappointing 4-1 Test series defeat in Australia earlier this year, where the drinking culture inside the squad made huge controversy.
The issue became even bigger during England's recent Test series against New Zealand at home. After England won the first Test at Lord’s, captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson reportedly broke the team's curfew by visiting a London nightclub.
As a result, both players were left out of the second Test at The Oval. Later, it was reported that there was confusion over the curfew, with some players believing the rule no longer applied once a match had finished. Following that incident, the England team management made the rules much stricter.
Brendon McCullum relaxes England's drinking rules after 4-0 win over India
Interestingly, after England completed a dominant 4-0 T20I series win over India at home, McCullum relaxed some of the new drinking restrictions for the players.
The coach said at the post-match presentation, “For a start, there’s not many of our guys that actually drink, but anyone that wants a beer can have a beer, yes. The guidelines are in place. And everyone’s very aware of it (the guidance) and I think we’ll have a quiet beer and just let this one land - just as long as no-one lands on the front page.”
