Brendon McCullum apologises for England's Test failures against Australia and India

England head coach Brendon McCullum has apologised to fans for not being able to win a marquee Test series under his tenure against Australia and India. McCullum was recently removed from his position as the Test head coach following England’s first series defeat at home since 2021, as they went down 1-2 against New Zealand.

His axe came right after England Test captain Ben Stokes’ retirement; the duo had been at the helm of the team since May 2022. While England did improve on its consistently poor results after the pair joined forces, they couldn’t beat top teams such as Australia and India.

Reacting to his removal, McCullum said that he was disappointed with the decision but fully respects it, acknowledging that the team couldn’t deliver the results everyone expected.

"I got a tap on the shoulder. I was disappointed, not just initially, 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,” McCullum said in the pre-match press conference ahead of the first ODI against India.

The former New Zealand cricketer mentioned how England came up short against both Australia and India. The Three Lions managed to register a 2-2 draw in the home series against both teams, but lost away series by a crushing margin of 1-4 to both sides.

I can only say sorry: McCullum

"I don't think we got what we wanted really. Fundamentally, you want to be winning the big series. India and Australia are the marquee series and if you don't win those you haven't quite been able to achieve what you wanted to. I thought we had opportunities against both of those quality oppositions, and we achieved some good stuff over the four years but, fundamentally, the results didn't live up to it at the back end, hence the decision was made,” he added.

During McCullum’s tenure, England won 27 out of 49 Tests and lost 20. He even expressed apologies for not delivering the desired results against top teams.

"I thank everyone for all their involvement and commitment and investment for what we've tried to do over the last four and a half years. We just weren't quite able to win those big series, against India and Australia, the two marquee series. We just weren't able to get the results, and for that I guess I can only say sorry,” said McCullum.

McCullum sets sights on lifting trophies

McCullum will now continue as England’s head coach in both limited-overs formats (ODIs and T20Is), with his contract extending until the ODI World Cup 2027. His sole focus now remains to lift major trophies with England.

"For me, now it's about focussing all me attention, enthusiasm and knowledge I have of these players, the game and English cricket into the white-ball, to try to get us in a position where we're able to lift trophies and be a great representation on the field and off the field for the English fans, and for all those who support the English cricket team,” said McCullum.

Under McCullum, England reached the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026, where they lost to India in a high-scoring thriller by seven runs. Their recent 4-0 triumph in the T20I series against the Men in Blue has further catapulted them to the top of the ICC T20I team rankings.

England’s next assignment is a three-match ODI series against India, beginning on Tuesday, July 14 at Edgbaston, Birmingham.