Brendon McCullum’s White Ball Targets in Red Ball Cricket: 2022

Brendon McCullum has been appointed as the England Cricket Team’s Test Coach, and he is coming in with a huge vision ahead. Considering England’s struggles in the long format over the last year, Brendon McCullum comes in with a lot of work ahead, but he seems prepared. Brendon McCullum’s style of play was dependent on a positive mindset, which made him a wonderful white-ball batter, and a game-changer in Test Cricket with his aggression.

He proved that aggression has a place in the long-format and that has led to his vision of bringing in England’s white-ball stars. With the view that a good cricketer can succeed irrespective of the format, early indications suggest that Brendon McCullum looks to bring some of the best players in England currently, and here are a few of them.

Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler was very poor in the Ashes, and the lack of runs may have seen an end to his Test career. His spot has been in doubt over the last year, but with some runs in the odd Test, Jos Buttler has managed to hang on to his spot, until he was dropped in the West Indies tour.

He is one of England’s best white-ball players, but his Test career has not kicked off yet. However, after a confidence building IPL, Brendon McCullum may be tempted to bring him back to the set-up. A similar incident happened in 2018, and the scenario could repeat, only under a different coach. McCullum himself was a white-ball giant who made it big in Test Cricket, and he his presence could bring the required difference in Buttler’s approach to Test cricket as he looks to establish himself in the long format.

Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali retired from Test Cricket before the Ashes, but given his white-ball form, he could be persuaded back into the set-up. He has for long been a utility player for England, batting everywhere from one to seven in the line-up and doubling up as a frontline spinner and part-time spinner on various occasions. If Moeen is willing to comeback under Brendon McCullum’s coaching, England will have their utility player back and they may be able to set out a better role from him as England have struggled to find a consistent role for him in the past.

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Liam Livingstone

Liam Livingstone is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball today. He is in the form of his life in T20 Cricket, but his presence in the Test squad back in 2018 often goes forgotten. Before becoming a T20 superstar, Livingstone had a few good moments in County Cricket, showing that he can play the longer format. He surely has the technique, looks to score big runs, and could make a case for himself if he allows himself to play a few red-ball games to compete for a spot in the Test side.

Adil Rashid

Adil Rashid was a key member of the Test side a couple years ago. He made a comeback to the Test side in 2018-2019 due to his white-ball form, after rejecting a red-ball contract in the county championship. His wrist-spin has proven to be useful for England, but with his focus on white-ball cricket, Adil Rashid has taken a break from the longer format. With England struggling to find spinners though, going back to Adil Rashid could help. He is still one of the better spinners in the country, and his return will help England find some strong names in the line-up, while they will also have a bowler who knows his role as an aggressive spinner.

With Brendon McCullum, the return of these stars seems possible given his own ability to convert whilte-ball form to red-ball form.