‘I Was Gutted’: Joe Root Bids Goodbye to McCullum, Backs Fleming for England’s Test Reset

Joe Root has a new job, a new Test coach and an England side badly in need of a reset. But before looking ahead, the new captain has admitted just how much it hurt to see Brendon McCullum go.

“I was gutted.”

McCullum, who remains England’s white-ball head coach, was replaced in the Test setup by former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming earlier this month. Root, meanwhile, succeeded Ben Stokes as Test captain after Stokes retired from international cricket following England’s 2-1 series defeat to New Zealand in June. That loss came after an even bigger blow: a 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia.

England are changing direction. For Root, however, McCullum’s departure was about much more than results. “I’ll be honest with you. I was gutted when I found out Brendon was no longer going to be the Test coach,” Root said on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast. McCullum, he said, had transformed the way he looked at cricket and helped unlock the best version of him as a batter. “He’s someone who I feel has really got the best out of me personally. I love the way he sees the game, and the way that he’s opened my eyes up to looking at it slightly differently.”

The relationship had also become personal. Root said he had grown close to McCullum and “owe[s] a huge amount” to the former New Zealand captain. The consolation is that their partnership isn’t completely over: McCullum remains in charge of England’s white-ball teams, giving Root the opportunity to continue working with him outside Test cricket.

But England’s red-ball rebuild now belongs to another New Zealander.

Enter Stephen Fleming

If losing McCullum was difficult, Root sounds genuinely excited about what Fleming could bring. The two have crossed paths several times over the years, and Root said his admiration for Fleming goes back to his playing days. “He’s someone that I really did admire as a player,” Root said, highlighting in particular the way Fleming carried himself as New Zealand captain.

Fleming’s subsequent coaching career has only strengthened that reputation. His biggest successes have come in T20 cricket rather than the Test arena, something Root readily acknowledged. But he believes Fleming’s record as a coach speaks for itself. “His record as a coach has been exceptional, albeit in T20 cricket. There’s so much that I’m looking forward to in that respect.”

The timing makes the partnership particularly significant. England are coming off two painful series defeats, have lost Stokes to international retirement and are beginning a new Test era with both a different captain and coach. For Root, that means saying goodbye to the man who changed the way he saw the game while placing his faith in another coach he has admired for years. McCullum helped reinvent Root the batter. Now Fleming and Root must reinvent England’s Test team.

(With inputs from ANI)