
"He is incredible, the best England coach": Andrew Flintoff hails Brendon McCullum
He highlighted his admiration for McCullum by comparing his influence to that of Gareth Southgate with the England football team from 2016 to 2024.
'It's not something I'm looking at. Baz McCullum is incredible - the best England coach,' Andrew Flintoff said as quoted by Sky Sports.
'He's unbelievable, and the culture he's created is incredible. It's similar to what Gareth Southgate did with the football lads; they are not just good players but great lads as well,' he said.
Flintoff joined England white-ball head coach Matthew Mott's backroom team on an ad-hoc basis in September 2023, although he did not travel to that year's World Cup in India.
He was also a member of England's coaching staff at last year's T20 World Cup, where they had a semifinal exit after defeat against India.
Flintoff said he is enjoying working under Rob Key, England's managing director of men's cricket, and said Rob has helped him so much in other things.
'I'm enjoying working under Keysy (England managing director of men's cricket, Rob Key), it's no secret he's one of my best mates, and he's helped me so much in other things. With Baz, we've got a great relationship and the utmost respect,' he added.
He also said that at the moment, he feels as though he is in the perfect place working with the Lions and doesn't see this as a stepping stone to anything else.
'Honestly, at the moment, I feel as though I'm in the perfect place working with the Lions. I don't see this as a stepping stone to anything else, I'm invested in this and get a chance to work with these lads,' he added. (ANI)

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
35 minutes ago
- Indian Express
India's selection for this test is baffling: Tom Moody slams IND team management for ‘fixation on allrounders' vs ENG at Edgbaston
Former Australian player and coach Tom Moody on Wednesday called India's team selection for the second Test against England at Edgbaston 'baffling'. India lined up without their premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah and also dropped Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur for Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar. 'India's selection for this test is baffling. No, Bumrah is one thing, but to only have 5 specialist batsmen is a gamble. The fixation on all-rounders who are there to offer depth with bat and ball has never worked. Specialists are always going to offer more over a test,' Moody posted on X. The team have already come under flak for resting Bumrah in this Test after going 1-0 down when they lost the 1st Test at Leeds last week. There were also murmurs of dissatisfaction in most corners due to the non-inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav as well. India's selection for this test is baffling. No Bumrah is one thing, but to only have 5 specialist batsmen is a gamble. The fixation on all-rounders who are there to offer depth with bat and ball has never worked. Specialists are always going to offer more over a test. #ENGvIND — Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) July 2, 2025 Asked why Bumrah was left out, India skipper Shubman Gill said: 'Just to manage his workload, this is an important match but third match being at Lords, there will be a bit in the wicket, and we thought we'll play him there.' There was also no Kuldeep Yadav and Gill said they looked to add depth to the batting following the defeat in the series opener. 'We were tempted to play him but we thought of adding a bit of depth in our batting,' said Gill. Even former head coach Ravi Shastri expressed disbelief at India's decision to rest a fully fit Bumrah, asserting that the pace spearhead should not have been given the option to sit out of a crucial game. India, enduring a rough patch in Test cricket since October last year, have managed just one win in their last nine matches, marking their worst run in over a decade. Shubman Gill and his men lost the opening Test against England by five wickets in Leeds. 'If you look at the run, India has had, this becomes a very, very important test match. You've lost three against New Zealand, you've lost three against Australia,' Shastri told 'Sky Sports'. 'You've lost the first Test match here and you want to get back to winning ways. You have the best fast bowler in the world, and you make him sit out after seven days of rest, it's something very hard to believe,' he said. (With agency inputs)


NDTV
36 minutes ago
- NDTV
Why Are India And England Wearing Black Armbands In 2nd Test At Edgbaston? Reason Is...
India and England observed a minute's applause at the start of the second Test at Edgbaston. Both teams and the crowd stood up and clapped, in memory of former England batter Wayne Larkins, who passed away on June 28 at the age of 71. The two teams also wre black armbands in his honour on Day 1 of the second Test. A veteran of 13 Tests and 25 ODIs, Larkins was a part of the England squad that finished runners-up in the 1979 Cricket World Cup. He had passed away after a short illness between the first and the second Test. Former England and Northamptonshire batsman Wayne Larkins has died after a short illness, aged 71, according to a report on the Northamptonshire website. The batsman passed away on June 28. Between 1979 and 1991, Larkins, well known as "Ned", participated in 13 Tests and 25 One Day Internationals. His second appearance for England was at the 1979 World Cup final, where he batted at No. 7 and bowled two overs. However, his greatest moment came when he scored the winning runs at Sabina Park, giving England a surprise 1-0 lead on the 1989-90 tour of the West Indies. That was Larkins' seventh Test, coming more than eight years after his sixth. He might have played more in between had he not been banned for three years for involvement on the 1982 rebel tour of South Africa. Larkins played for Northamptonshire for the majority of his career, amassing over 700 games for the team, and was well-known for both his strokeplay and his vibrant demeanour off the field. After that, he relocated to Durham, where he eventually retired after a career that saw him score 40,000 runs and 85 centuries. Larkins passed 1,000 first-class runs in every season between 1978 and 1985, and his magnificent purple patch in 1983 - hitting 236 against Derbyshire at Derby and 252 off Glamorgan's attack at Swansea in the space of seven weeks - might well have earned a Test recall, had he not been banned at the time for joining the unofficial tour to South Africa in 1982.


NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Ravi Shastri Tears Into Gautam Gambhir For Jasprit Bumrah No-Show At Edgbaston: "Should Be Taken Out..."
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri said he has found Jasprit Bumrah's absence from the second Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at Edgbaston as something which is very hard to believe. With India 1-0 down in the five-match series, Bumrah has been rested from the match at Edgbaston due to workload management issues, with Akash Deep taking his place in the playing eleven. At toss, captain Shubman Gill revealed the India management felt Lord's will offer Bumrah more familiar conditions to succeed, but Shastri was left unpleased. "This is a very important match, they've had a week off. I'm little surprised Bumrah is not playing this game. It should be taken out of the player's hand. It should be the captain and the coaching staff that should decide who should be playing the 11. This is an important game in the context of the series, he should be playing this game more than anything else.' 'Lord's can come later. This is the important game where you got to counter punch almost straightaway. Play this one. Make it 1-1 and then give him the option: you want to rest at Lord's, rest at Lord's. You think he'll rest at Lord's? No chance if you win this. If you look at the run, India has had, this becomes a very, very important test match.' 'You've lost three against New Zealand, you've lost three against Australia. You've lost the first Test match here and you want to get back to winning ways. You have the best fast bowler in the side, in the world, and you make him sit out after seven days of rest, it's something very hard to believe," said Shastri on Sky Sports' broadcast. With Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy included in place of B Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur, it does lengthen the India batting line-up. But without Bumrah, India do look a considerably different side at Edgbaston. Stuart Broad, the former England fast bowler, also expressed surprise over Bumrah's omission at Edgbaston. 'A week is a very good time off for a fast bowler. (Bumrah's omission) does surprise me and what also surprised me was him saying before the series he will only play three of the five Tests. You keep those cards close to your chest and play each week as it comes. They will definitely want Bumrah at Lord's because of the movement you can get through the air, so can they risk him here?" he said.