Bazball expansion as McCullum handed keys to white-ball teams

Brendon McCullum will oversee England's fortunes in all three cricket formats from the start of next year after agreeing to succeed Matthew Mott as white-ball head coach.

The 42-year-old former New Zealand captain will replace Australian Mott, who stepped down following England's T20 World Cup semi-final exit against eventual champions India in June.

McCullum has reinvigorated the Test set-up alongside captain Ben Stokes since May 2022 and will look to bring 'Bazball' to the ailing limited-overs sides as England merge the head coach roles once again.

He has extended his contract by 18 months to the end of 2027, officially taking over the ODI and T20 sides in January to coincide with a tour of India and the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

In the meantime, former England opener Marcus Trescothick will be in caretaker charge of the white-ball sides for the forthcoming visit of Australia and the tour to the West Indies in October and November.

"I've thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Test team and I'm excited to extend my role to include the white-ball sides," McCullum said.

"This new challenge is something I'm ready to embrace, and I'm eager to work closely with (white-ball captain) Jos (Buttler) and the team to build on the strong foundations that are already in place."

Chris Silverwood's sacking after the 2021-22 Ashes was followed by an acceptance that an unrelenting timetable - with some Test and white-ball assignments overlapping - was too much for one head coach.

McCullum was initially linked with joining Eoin Morgan's world champions but was instead attracted by the idea of lifting an England Test side that had won one of their previous 17 matches out of the doldrums.

He has transformed the team's fortunes since his appointment and one more victory over Sri Lanka in the next week will ensure a perfect home summer in Tests at home for the first time in 20 years.

With England's fixture programme subsiding post-Christmas for the next couple of years, McCullum has accepted a plea from managing director of men's cricket Rob Key to succeed Mott.

"Rob Key's vision for the future of English cricket is something that really resonated with me," McCullum added.

"The idea of a unified coaching structure, especially with the schedule easing next year, made perfect sense. I'm energised by the prospect of guiding both teams."

McCullum still resides in New Zealand and will return home after England's Test series against Sri Lanka ends next week before joining the team for the forthcoming tours of Pakistan and New Zealand.

He inherits a white-ball outfit that have surrendered both limited-overs World Cups in the last 12 months, which led to Mott's axing in July.

McCullum will be at the helm as they try to win them back with the next T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in 2026 and the 50-over equivalent in southern Africa in 2027.

"I'm delighted that Brendon has chosen to do both roles now with England," Key said.

"I believe we are incredibly fortunate that a coach of his quality is prepared to commit wholeheartedly to English cricket.

"Being able to align all teams now is particularly exciting and we look forward to taking on all challenges that come our way.

"The timing of the schedule (from January) will allow him to dedicate the necessary focus to both roles, and we're confident this restructure will bring out the best in our players and coaching staff."

Australia could face an England side with a stand-in captain as well as coach after skipper Jos Buttler suffered a setback in his recovery from a calf injury.

England are hoping Buttler rediscovers his command with the bat and mojo as captain, but after missing the entirety of The Hundred because of a calf concern he sustained in July the explosive hitter has been ruled out of a return for Lancashire in the T20 Blast on Wednesday.

County head coach Dale Benkenstein also revealed Buttler is in a race against time to be fit for the first T20 against Australia on September 11.

"We've had some bad news on his recovery," Benkenstein said told the BBC. "He's had an injury that he was recovering from and he's tweaked it again.

"He's not only out of our T20 but I think he's struggling to even make the international ones.

"He was very keen to play for us. Jos was in contact with us to get ready for that quarter-final but he won't be with us."

England are understood to be relaxed about the situation and anticipate Buttler to be ready to lead a revamped squad for the entirety of Australia's limited-overs tour, consisting of three T20s followed by five ODIs this month.

His chances are likely improved by the assumption he will give up one of his key duties in the T20s, with Phil Salt expected to keep wicket as Buttler fields closer to his bowlers to relay any advice.

Qantas Tour of the UK 2024

Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood (England games only), Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Riley Meredith (Scotland games only), Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

September 4: First T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, 11pm AEST

September 6: Second T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, 11pm AEST

September 7: Third T20 v Scotland, The Grange, Edinburgh, 11pm AEST

September 11: First T20 v England, Rose Bowl, Southampton, 3.30am Sept 12 AEST

September 13: Second T20 v England, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, 3.30am Sept 14 AEST

September 15: Third T20 v England, Old Trafford Manchester, 11.30pm AEST

Australia ODI squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

September 19: First ODI v England, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 10pm AEST

September 21: Second ODI v England, Headingley, Leeds, 10pm AEST

September 24: Third ODI v England, Riverside, Chester-le-Street, 10pm AEST

September 27: Fourth ODI v England, Lord's, London, 10pm AEST

September 29: Fifth ODI v England, County Ground, Bristol, 8pm AEST