14 July,2026 06:25 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Brendon McCullum (Pic: File Pic)
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed in a statement that Brendon McCullum was sacked and did not stand down as the Test head coach.
Following the move, McCullum has apologised to England cricket team's fans for the results in the longest format of the game. Speaking about the decision, he expressed disappointment but also accepted that "it's is time for someone else to have a go".
"Yeah, I got a tap on the shoulder. I was disappointed but at the same time I fully respect the decision. We're in a results business and fundamentally our results weren't good enough. It's time for someone else to have a go," he said.
"We just weren't quite able to win those big series, against India and Australia. For that I guess I can only say sorry," added McCullum.
However, he will continue to be in charge of England's limited-overs set-up. Recently, the "Three Lions" registered a 4-0 win in the five-match T20I series against Team India.
Currently, England is busy engaging in the three-match ODI series against the "Men in Blue". The first match is being played at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham.
The hosts have won the toss and elected to bat first against the Shubman Gill-led men.
Jasprit Bumrah, hailed as one of the stunning pacers of the current generation, was included in India's playing XI. Considering his workload management, Team India's think tank rested him during the five-match T20I series against England.
On the other hand, star batsman Virat Kohli has also been included in the playing XI of the first match of the series, which could be the Delhi-born cricketer's final series in England.
Having the likes of bigwigs Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Bumrah, it will be interesting to see if the visitors manage to dominate in England.
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (C), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna.
England: Jacob Bethell, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, Josh Tongue, Adil Rashid.
(With AP Inputs)
