Brendon McCullum 'keen to carry on' despite undesired Ashes campaign down under

Brendon McCullum is "keen to carry on" as England's head coach despite an underwhelming Ashes down under that saw the visitors lose the series inside 11 days. The tourists weren't able to keep up the momentum gained by winning the Boxing Day Test at the MCG and lost the New Year's Test at the SCG by five wickets from a position of strength.

The Kiwi coach has 18 months left on his contract, which runs till the end of the home Ashes in 2027, and a decision on whether he is still in charge when New Zealand tour England in June for a three-match Test series will be made following the conclusion of England's upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, starting January 22.

"When I took this job, I didn't take it for any other reason than I thought I could help, and that hasn't changed. I believe I can help," McCullum was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

"I'm keen to carry on in the job. I think there's some exciting talent which sits within the game. I think the progress we've made has been pretty good. It's not necessarily at the level we want it to be, but it's been pretty good from when we took over.

"Remember, when we did take over, look at the exciting opportunity that's there for English cricket: the talent, the resource, the fan base and the history within English cricket. Think of the challenges that Test cricket, in particular, has faced from franchise cricket around the world. You think about, how do you continue to ensure that Test cricket is really relevant? I think fans have turned up and the way that people support this cricket team is testament to that, and I think over the last few years, we've played some very good cricket.

"Ultimately, those decisions are not up to me. But from my point of view, I'm keen to carry on because I see the opportunity."

England begin prep for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026

England do not have much time to reflect upon their undesired Ashes campaign and must set their sights on what could be their biggest challenge in white-ball cricket this calendar year, i.e., ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

England will begin their prep for the tournament with their upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, where they'll be involved in three ODIs and as many T20Is. They will be led by Harry Brook, who recently copped a £30,000 fine for an altercation with a bouncer during England's tour of New Zealand preceding the Ashes.

England's tour of Sri Lanka 2026