Brendon Mccullum Mulls Appointing Harry Brook As England Vice-captain For Ashes

Harry Brook could switch Ollie Pope arsenic England vice-captain for nan Ashes aft Brendon McCullum, nan caput coach, revealed it was up for chat successful an different “easy” squad to select.

Speaking aft an day of coagulated rainfall successful Nottingham caused a washout of nan 3rd Twenty20 betwixt England and South Africa – nan world location summertime ending pinch a 1-1 bid tie – McCullum floated nan anticipation of Brook arsenic Ben Stokes’s lawman fixed his domiciled arsenic nan limited-over captain.

McCullum said: “It’s nary concealed that Brook is emerging arsenic a leader wrong English cricket, truthful that’s thing we request to activity out. But immoderate happens, a awesome squad understands that conscionable because you haven’t sewage a [leadership] title, doesn’t extremity you from being a leader.”

A move would beryllium a rustle to Pope, who has been vice-captain since precocious 2022 and led nan squad 5 times during this time. McCullum confirming Pope will besides beryllium nan reserve wicketkeeper connected circuit – nan domiciled he performed successful New Zealand past year, handing Jacob Bethell his chance – is improbable to soften it.

As for nan squad overall, McCullum said he wants astatine slightest 7 seamers, moreover if he is searching for a caller personification to mentor for them. Tim Southee, who replaced Jimmy Anderson successful nan domiciled this summer, is committed to playing franchise cricket, pinch Andrew Flintoff tipped arsenic 1 action for nan role.

With McCullum assured that Mark Wood will beryllium “cherry ripe” aft knee room successful March blew retired his summer, nan main mobility people is nan spare spinner. Shoaib Bashir is still nan No 1, McCullum insisted, contempt missing nan backmost extremity of nan 2-2 bid tie against India pinch a surgery hand.

England’s last T20 against South Africa was called disconnected astatine a soggy Trent Bridge without a shot being bowled. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

Liam Dawson replaced Bashir for nan Old Trafford Test but a wicketless last day, positive his accustomed wintertime commitments successful franchise cricket, whitethorn lead to Rehan Ahmed getting nan nod. As for Stokes, who is recovering from a enarthrosis injury, McCullum has nary concerns and expects him to person a “booming series”.

The caput coach said: “I cognize really overmuch [Stokes] wants these Ashes. My occupation will beryllium to finesse that. Sometimes, we tin want thing excessively overmuch and our haste to want to win tin beryllium nan point that stops america succeeding. But it’s going to beryllium a ripper.”

McCullum offering his thoughts connected nan Ashes – and defending England’s solitary warmup, pointing retired they person won nan first Test of each distant circuit nether his activity – offered immoderate liking connected an different soggy time astatine Trent Bridge. Brian Clough whitethorn person walked connected h2o successful this portion of nan world but they are still to activity retired really to extremity it falling from nan sky.

Not that England’s summertime is complete entirely. A squad flies to Ireland connected Monday for 3 further T20s, albeit further diluted by Brook and Jofra Archer being granted a breather earlier nan winter. No Brook intends Bethell will get his first sensation of captaincy astatine nan tender property of conscionable 21.

“I said to Beth past nighttime and I conscionable told him to do it his measurement and bask it and conscionable don’t effort and do thing that he doesn’t judge in,” said McCullum, who likewise misses nan Ireland travel to return a break. “As overmuch arsenic he’s a flair subordinate connected nan field, he’s very good prepared and planned.”

Asked if Bethell could yet commencement nan Ashes successful Perth for immoderate logic different than an wounded to an incumbent batter, McCullum said he would “wait until we get down there” earlier making that call. England’s warmup lucifer against their ain Lions broadside whitethorn yet determine who gets nan motion for nan No 3 position.

Before nan rainfall fell successful Nottingham, England besides announced that Saqib Mahmood will miss Ireland to acquisition “minor knee surgery”. In comes Hampshire’s Scott Currie, a erstwhile England Under-19 seamer who won 3 one-day world caps for Scotland past year, for his first elder call-up.

Among nan top pities astir nan damp scenes was that Salt, Jos Buttler, Luke Wood, Tom Banton and Dawson each missed T20 Finals Day astatine Edgbaston 24 hours earlier to past mill astir watching puddles shape connected nan covers.

Still, successful spite of nan absentees and nan clip of year, Somerset’s triumph capped a memorable occasion that intelligibly meant truthful overmuch to truthful many. The T20 Blast whitethorn nary longer beryllium nan premier men’s short-form tourney successful England but, to pinch a statement from Clough, it is decidedly successful nan apical one.