Largely, this approach has worked well for England. McCullum is more manager and motivator than coach. He has always kept a small group of trusted lieutenants, such as his compatriot Jeetan Patel and batting guru Marcus Trescothick. They work hard, but the environment is player-led: they receive guidance and motivation, but are expected to solve problems themselves.
On this tour, the method seems to have come unstuck. Australia was where they needed strong coaching. The squad lacked experience in these conditions, with just five players surviving from the last tour of Australia. One of those, Mark Wood, has now flown home. Two more, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, were in and out of the side in 2021-22 and have not cracked Test cricket after 60 matches. Since the last tour, England willingly jettisoned plenty of experience – some positive, some negative – in Australia, such as Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ollie Robinson and Jack Leach. Of his own volition, Stuart Broad retired.
Instead, England have come with a patchwork coaching team. Patel and Trescothick are here, although the former looks after spinners when England barely pick them, and the latter revealed during the Brisbane Test that the batsmen were not discussing their injudicious driving. Paul Collingwood, the long-time assistant with a fielding speciality, is no longer with the team. McCullum alone deals with Smith’s keeping, where once Bruce French would drill Bairstow and Ben Foakes to within an inch of their lives.
