Brendon McCullum backs Joe Root as Test captain, hails Stephen Fleming

England white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum has backed the ECB's decision to reappoint Joe Root as Test captain following Ben Stokes' retirement, while insisting that Harry Brook remains the long-term leadership prospect. Brook, who served as Stokes' deputy during England's recent Test series against New Zealand, was widely viewed as a leading candidate for the captaincy. However, when Stokes missed the second Test after being suspended for breaching the team's curfew, the ECB entrusted the captaincy to former skipper Joe Root instead of Brook. Following Stokes' retirement, the board opted to hand Root a second stint as Test captain.

Despite Brook missing out on the role, McCullum believes the 27-year-old's time will come. "Everyone knows the affection that I have for Harry, he's a wonderful player and he's doing a fine job as white-ball leader. I think his time will come in the Test job," McCullum told Sky Sports.

"I'm looking forward to working with him and hopefully growing and developing him into the leader that he can become. At some stage in the future, he will have a very important role in that capacity. But for now, Joe will do an amazing job," he added.

While McCullum continues as England's head coach in white-ball cricket, the ECB has appointed former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming as the new Test coach, ending McCullum's four-year tenure in the red-ball format. Praising his fellow New Zealander, McCullum said Fleming was the ideal choice to take English Test cricket forward. "I had a great time in my four years but now it's going in a different direction. I think Flem will be excellent, he's a little bit like me, but better – that's how I would sum him up. He'll do a great job, and the ECB have done incredibly well to get someone like him to commit to English cricket. It's an outstanding achievement," McCullum said.

England's upcoming home Test series against Pakistan will see Marcus Trescothick serve as interim head coach before Fleming officially assumes charge for the tour of South Africa in December 2026.