Former England spinner Monty Panesar has suggested former India head coach Ravi Shastri as the best candidate to take over the England cricket team amid an investigation into current head coach Brendon McCullum.
McCullum-led England faced another disappointing Ashes tour in Australia, losing the series in 11 days. The defeat has renewed questions about McCullum’s tactics and the effectiveness of his much-discussed ‘baseball’ philosophy.
Following England’s 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia, McCullum was appointed as England head coach in 2022 by ECB managing director Rob Key. Initially, he and captain Ben Stokes revitalized England’s Test team, winning 10 of their first 11 matches.
However, England’s momentum stalled after that. The team that won the five-match Test series against Australia or India lost 16 of the next 33 matches.
The ongoing Ashes series has highlighted these struggles, with England trailing 0-3 with two matches to go.
Banesar cited Shastri’s experience in winning in Australia as a key factor.
“You have to think: Who knows how to beat Australia? How do you exploit Australia’s weaknesses, mentally, physically, tactically? I think Ravi Shastri should be the next England coach,” Banesar said.
Under Shastri, India defeated Australia twice in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia—first in 2018/19, India’s first Test series win Down Under, and again in 2020/21 after recovering from the infamous ’36 all out’ in Adelaide, hit hard by injuries.
Despite mounting external pressure, McCullum has expressed his desire to continue as England head coach, but admits his future is no longer entirely in his control.
The former New Zealand captain is under contract with the ECB until the end of the 2027 ODI World Cup, which also includes the next home Ashes series scheduled for the same year.