The ‘real reason’ why Brendon McCullum was sacked as England Test match coach has been revealed. The 44-year-old New Zealander was informed of the decision on Saturday, ending his time in charge of the country’s red-ball side after just over four years.

Although he will remain in charge of both England’s One-Day International and T20 teams, McCullum has been axed from the Test helm following a dismal run of form in the longest form of the game.

Ironically, McCullum was originally brought into the England set-up solely as the Test coach, before his initial success in the role saw him offered both white-ball roles.

The End of the ‘Bazball’ Era

His highly aggressive brand of Test cricket, branded ‘Bazball’, was tipped by some to be revolutionary to the format. However, after winning 10 of his first 11 Tests at the start of his reign, England’s policy of seemingly trying to hit every ball to the boundary started to have a negative effect on the team’s results.

This led to a change in philosophy, which saw naturally aggressive players trying to bat in a more responsible way. The England Test side never fully committed to the shift, though, and often looked well out of their depth in what would turn out to be the final year of McCullum’s time in charge.

England have won just two of their last 10 Test matches, a run that included a dismal 4-1 Ashes defeat away in Australia, during a series where McCullum’s men never threatened to be competitive.

However, a new report suggests it was not solely England’s Test results, or the sudden retirement of now former captain Ben Stokes, that led to the ECB’s decision to strip McCullum of his role.

Why McCullum Was Axed as England’s Test Match Coach

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

Per the Daily Mail, England cricket chiefs were concerned about McCullum’s inability to find his side’s identity once his early success fell away.

Names such as Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes were instrumental in those early days, but when they were either dropped or retired, McCullum seemed to have no clear plan on how to replace them in the Test set-up.

The numbers back up that statement, with nine of the 41 players in the Bazball era playing no more than one Test. Meanwhile, eight played five or fewer. Of the six who played more than 25, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley were ultimately dropped, while Stokes walked away at the end of the recent series defeat to New Zealand.

Following Stokes’ departure, the England Test side is in need of a major reset, and ultimately, those in power felt that McCullum wasn’t the right man to spearhead a revival.

The England Test team now finds itself without a captain or coach, just a year away from a home Ashes series. Oddsmakers suggest that Andy Flower, who coached England to their most-recent series wins in Australia and India, is the favourite to take up the role once again.

The Zimbabwean is believed to be keen to retain his lucrative job as head coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League if he is to become England’s new Test coach. With the IPL operating in its own window in the annual cricket calendar, it is entirely possible that Flower could juggle both jobs.

McCullum, meanwhile, will now focus all of his attention on England’s white-ball efforts, with a 50-over World Cup on the horizon next year.

Manchester United are said to have already decided on their defensive priority as they look to add a left-sided defender this summer. Michael Carrick and his recruitment staff has spent much of the summer so far concentrating on midfield signings, with two or three midfielders needed to add depth and replace Casemiro.

A deal for Ederson fell through due to a medical United did not like the look of, but the Red Devils have managed to snap up Andrey Santos from Chelsea, while Youri Tielemans is on his way from Aston Villa. Another midfield signing could follow.

Another area United need to improve is the left-back position, with Luke Shaw, who has had injury troubles aplenty, the only senior left-back on the books, while youngster Diego León is also on the books. Carrick needs another high-level option there, and it seems as though that will be the next priority after Tielemans.

Man Utd identify Lewis Hall as left-back priority

As Carrick looks to land a left-back, TeamTalk have claimed that Newcastle United star Lewis Hall is the main priority, although he is joined on a shortlist by another. The report claims United believe Hall is willing to make the move to Old Trafford, and that he is comfortable competing with Luke Shaw and ultimately replacing the senior star, even if that doesn’t happen immediately.

It’s claimed Hall would like the idea of working under Carrick, and that the Red Devils are confident of striking a deal with the player. The problem is that Newcastle have already sold Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon this summer, while they could yet lose Bruno Guimaraes, meaning another sale from the starting XI is unlikely, at least not at an affordable price.

United are also said to have had Eintracht Frankfurst’s Nathaniel Brown on their shortlist, but he has been snapped up by Bayern Munich, while Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde is also being considered. But on that front, Spanish reports earlier this summer claimed Barca were happy with Balde, and they decided not to sign Marc Cucurella as a result, so movement there would be surprising.

Hall a ‘terrific player’

Speaking on Match of the Day last year, pundit Danny Murphy said of Hall after his performance against Everton: “We haven’t seen enough of Lewis Hall, he’s a terrific player. He loves to get forward, and he gets in these [attacking] areas so often. He causes problems for Everton. You’ve got Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye, who are super players, playing well, who spent most of their time defending because of the Newcastle full-backs.

“The quality he’s got with his crossing, we’ve seen before, hence the fact he’s played for England already. For Newcastle moving forward, having these two fit and available to play gives them so much more.”

Arsenal are debating whether to continue with their pursuit of Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes after reportedly being misled about the prospective price tag for the player, according to the Telegraph.

The Gunners are in the market for a new central midfielder this summer after Martin Zubimendi struggled in the latter half of last season. After initially being linked with up-and-coming youngsters such as Alex Scott and Ayyoub Bouaddi, reports emerged indicating that the North Londoners were attempting an audacious move to sign Guimaraes.

Sporting director Andrea Berta supposedly held talks with intermediaries about a potential cut-price deal for the Brazilian, with the Italian said to have received encouragement that Newcastle had an agreement with the player to sanction his departure for just £50 million.

With Arsenal discovering that no such agreement exists and that Newcastle actually want at least £80m, the North Londoners are now carefully considering their next steps in this saga.

Arsenal Weighing Up Next Move in Bruno Guimaraes Saga

via Reuters

Arsenal’s initial strategy in central midfield this summer appeared to be centred around young players who could develop alongside some of the more established stars at the Emirates. Lille’s Bouaddi was mooted as a serious target, while Bournemouth’s Scott was also mentioned in conversations around the Gunners’ approach in the market.

Out of nowhere, conflicting reports surfaced suggesting that Guimaraes is Berta’s top target this summer.

It’s believed that Arsenal sensed a market opportunity could be on the cards regarding the 28-year-old, and the Telegraph indicate that intermediaries hinted that a deal worth just £50 million was plausible.

Guimaraes signed a new contract in 2024, and there are some suggestions that, when in negotiations over this new deal, Newcastle promised the player that he could leave for a reduced price if Eddie Howe’s side failed to qualify for the Champions League.

The Telegraph claim that they’ve discovered that, after consulting Magpies-linked Amanda Staveley, no such agreement was ever reached.

Instead, Newcastle remain staunch in their stance that Arsenal will have to stump up around £90 million to land the Brazil international’s services, while they would also need to pay him £300,000-a-week.

The Gunners are cautious about overpaying for a player who turns 29 later this year, and will now consider their next move carefully before potentially turning to alternatives.

Newcastle Owner Denies Bruno Guimaraes Update

Telegraph journalist Luke Edwards, who sourced the information detailing Arsenal’s potential change in heart regarding Guimaraes, posted a link to his report on X.

Newcastle co-owner and husband of Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, replied to the post claiming that it was ‘utter nonsense’.

This response has unsurprisingly sparked confusion amongst supporters online, with no one knowing what part of the Guimaraes saga to believe.

Whether Arsenal did indeed believe they could’ve signed Guimaraes for just £50 million isn’t clear, while it’s also not clear whether they’re contemplating moving onto other targets.

Fabrizio Romano has previously reported that Arsenal lodged two unsuccessful bids for Guimaraes, both of which were over this reported £50 million valuation.

The next few weeks should provide clarity on what is quickly becoming the most convoluted transfer saga of the summer.