Rahul Dravid namedropped as Michael Atherton reacts to Brendon McCullum's appointment as England's all-format head coach

Former England opener Michael Atherton has opened up about Brendon McCullum's appointment as head coach across all three formats.

Michael Atherton stated that Brendon McCullum might face challenges managing the team in multiple formats amid a tight international schedule.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) appointed McCullum as the white-ball coach of England on Tuesday, September 3.

The former New Zealand captain has led the Test team since mid-2022. He will take over from Matthew Mott, who resigned after the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

That's How India Have Done It - Michael Atherton

Speaking to Sky Sports, Michael Atherton highlighted that the BCCI gave Rahul Dravid time off during his coaching tenure.

He said that Marcus Trescothick, who will be the interim coach for the Australia series, might take over duties to give Brendon McCullum a breather from time to time.

"I think it'll make the people around him very important, people like Marcus Trescothick, who's going to be the interim coach for this Australia series at the end of the summer, he will presumably step in from time to time," said Atherton on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast.

"That's how India have done it. They've had one man doing both, Rahul Dravid, until recently, but others have stepped in from time to time to give the head coach a break," he added.

Matthew Mott stepped down from his role following England's disappointing performances in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Mott guided the team to victory in the 2022 T20 World Cup. However, Jos Buttler's team won just three of nine matches in the ODI World Cup.

Brendon McCullum will begin his tenure as England's white-ball coach with the India tour in January 2025. He will serve as head coach of all three formats from 2025 to 2027. Marcus Trescothick will be the interim head coach for the white-ball teams during the Australia series and the West Indies tour.

I Don't Doubt Brendon McCullum's Credentials At All - Michael Atherton

The 56-year-old said that Brendon McCullum might find it challenging to manage his time between different formats. Atherton stated that he doesn’t doubt McCullum’s credentials, but the new role will add extra responsibility for him.

"When McCullum took the Test job, he said he thought the one-day job was a bit of a cushy role because that was going so well under Eoin Morgan and the Test team was more of a challenge, and that's almost flipped now."

"I don't doubt McCullum's credentials at all, but the challenge will be just the extra responsibility, the extra time that it takes to plan and prepare and get a one-day team ready to play. You're probably going to have to be doing that during a Test tour at times," Atherton added.

McCullum has excelled as England's red-ball coach since replacing Chris Silverwood. Under his leadership, England has won 19 out of 28 Tests and lost only one series.

The Three Lions won only one out of 17 Test matches before he took over as England's red-ball coach.

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