Brendon McCullum side-stepped talk over England’s next Test captain before his red-ball departure was announced, but has hailed Harry Brook’s “immense” growth and insisted he has a significant future as a leader of English cricket.
The England and Wales Cricket Board are on the hunt for Ben Stokes’ successor after his shock retirement last month and white-ball captain Brook earned a ringing endorsement after Saturday’s 56-run T20 win at the Ageas Bowl earned a 4-0 whitewash over India in the Vitality Series. It was later announced on Sunday that McCullum would depart the red-ball set-up.
Stokes backed Brook after his retirement, but the 27-year-old was overlooked at the Kia Oval for Joe Root when an incident in a London nightclub resulted in Stokes being made unavailable for the second Test with New Zealand.
It followed Brook’s own altercation with a bouncer the night before an ODI in Wellington last November and there was a feeling that asking him to front up a group that has been criticised for its relationship with alcohol would not have sat easily.
However, Brook has breathed fresh life into England’s white-ball team, winning 20 of his 23 completed T20Is to send them top of the world rankings.
When asked if Brook could captain in all formats, McCullum, speaking before his Test departure was announced, said: “Respectfully to the T20 side, we sit here as number one in the world and have scaled the summit of what we wanted to achieve, so I’d be hesitant to want to speak about anything other than that at the moment.
“Brooky has obviously done another amazing job with the captaincy. Tactically he is very astute. He likes to pretend he is not smart, but he is very intelligent and just wears it lightly.
“He thinks that people underestimate him if that’s the case, but I think now everyone has seen you can’t underestimate his leadership and tactical nous.
“I’ve always been very affectionate towards Harry in every interview I’ve done. I consider him not just a good mate, I said to Sky, I almost feel like he is one of my sons.
“He hasn’t always got everything right, he has made mistakes off the field, but I think the growth we’ve seen in him over the last 12 months or so has been immense.
“He is very well respected in the dressing room as a leader and as a tactician and obviously as a player, but he is growing at an unbelievable speed.
“I thoroughly enjoy working with him and I feel like we’re able to get the best out of each other. I am sure that will continue over the time to come.
“His relationship with me has gone to a new level on the back of that (Wellington mistake) because there is a genuine affection there.
“Again you never know, but sometimes a mistake like that can be the making of someone. He acknowledged it and he’s grown immensely since then and he has a significant future in front of him as a leader of English cricket.”
McCullum acknowledged “things were pretty noisy” after England’s Test defeat to New Zealand, but expressed his satisfaction at how Brook’s team thrashed India by 125 runs, nine wickets and a 56-run margin in their last three games.
“It’s not just brute strength or cavalier play, it’s got some intelligence about it and a collective approach,” McCullum said.
McCullum also confirmed England were allowed to celebrate Saturday’s win with a beer after new guidelines were sent around following the Rex Rooms incident in Chelsea.
“For a start there’s not many of our guys that actually drink, but anyone that wants a beer, can have a beer,” McCullum said.
“We’ll have a quiet beer and let this one land… just as long as no one lands on the front page.”
McCullum has left his role as England’s Test head coach, but will remain in charge of the white-ball set-up.