Brendon McCullum says future as England head coach not in his hands

Brendon McCullum insists he is still the man to take England forward despite overseeing the latest addition to a horrific Ashes record in Australia, but admits he is unsure whether he will still be Test head coach at the start of next summer.

Defeat in the third Test by 82 runs saw Australia achieve an unassailable 3-0 lead to retain the urn inside 11 days. As well as extending England's winless streak down under to 18 matches - of which only two have been draws - it has poleaxed the Bazball ethos and methodology, which had seen England arrive at the start of November confident of an upset.

Speaking immediately after the match, Ben Stokes was unequivocal that he remains committed to the captaincy while conceding his side had been "poor". Much of that has been put down to the preparations leading into the series, which featured a single warm-up match over three days against England Lions at Lilac Hill.

There has also been criticism of the team's lack of appreciation of Australian conditions, and a general hands-off approach to players who needed more guidance. All of which falls under the domain of McCullum as head coach.

After a promising start following McCullum's appointment at the start of the 2022 summer, results have dropped off. Since the start of 2024, England have lost more Tests (13) than they have won (12), giving McCullum and Stokes an overall record of 25 wins and 17 defeats from 44 matches. This latest Ashes capitulation means England have not won a five-match series in four attempts during his tenure.

Having had his deal extended through to 2027 by managing director Rob Key - who is due to speak to the media on Tuesday - in a move that included making McCullum head coach of the limited overs set-up at the start of the year, sacking him could reportedly cost the ECB over £1million.

McCullum admitted he was uncertain about his future, but reiterated his desire to continue what he described as "a pretty good gig".

"I don't know," he said when asked whether he would be in charge of the Test side for the start of the 2026 English summer. "It's not really up to me, is it?

"I'll just keep trying to do the job, try to learn the lessons that [we] haven't quite got right here and try to make some adjustments. Those questions are for someone else, not for me.

"It's a pretty good gig. It's good fun. You travel the world with the lads and try to play some exciting cricket and try to achieve some things ... For me, it's a matter of trying to just get the very best out of the people and try to achieve what you can with them.

"Those other decisions are up to other people. But from my point of view, I'm enjoying the time that I've got with these guys and I think we've made some progress from when I took over to where we are. We're not the finished article, but I think we've definitely improved as a cricket team. We've had an identity about us. Now's the time for us in the last two Tests to really show that identity and try to salvage something from it."

England travelled to Melbourne on Monday ahead of Friday's Boxing Day Test at the MCG. McCullum ruled out bringing in reinforcements from beyond the squad, but changes are expected, with Jacob Bethell and Matthew Potts possible replacements for Ollie Pope and Brydon Carse, respectively.

While the series has passed England by, they do have two chances to break their Australian duck. Their last Test victory here came in 2011 at Sydney, at the end of a historic 2010-11 Ashes success. And off the back of a more spirited and functional display in Adelaide, McCullum sees no reason why they cannot achieve some consolation in the final three weeks of the tour.

"Well, we've got to find a way to win the next one. If we can just play again, just find that beautiful state you can get in where you're not restricted by the pressures and the expectations of everything. Acknowledge all of that, lean into it, and just accept that it's going to be there, but then just go out and when you cross the line, go out and just play the game.

"If we can do that, then we give ourselves a better chance. Camaraderie, morale will always be what it is within this group. We've tried to unite this team right throughout and we try to ensure that everyone is putting into the bucket, and that will be no different over the coming days.

"This one is going to sting, no doubt. But we know we've got a job to do in Melbourne and in Sydney. If we can salvage something out of the next two Test matches, then that's something."