Brendon McCullum sacked as England test coach, India's T20 slump & the Black Caps in the West Indies

In this episode of the show, Baldy, Jamie and Stu turn a 'short' episode into a long one by reacting to the news that Brendon McCullum has been sacked as England Men's test coach, and then looking back at the Stokes/McCullum tenure. We also discuss England's T20 series victory against India and New Zealand's ongoing ODI series against the West Indies.

We start the show with an extended conversation about Brendon McCullum's sacking as England Men's test coach. We talk the timing of the announcement, the reaction so far and the personal side of difficult conversations. We ask whether he'll see out the rest of his white-ball contract, wonder about who might replace him, and look back at the Stokes/McCullum era to consider how that time will be remembered and what, if anything, should be carried forward by their successors.

As the show continues, the conversation eventually does turn to recent cricket matches to discuss England's 4-0 T20 series win against India. We saw a return to form for Jos Buttler, some remarkable hitting from Harry Brook and a continuation of Jofra Archer's impressive summer. For India, is it time to panic? Probably not, but the absences of the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Varun Chakravarthy certainly left holes that couldn't be filled. And what to do now with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?

To round out the show, there's an overview of the first two ODIs between the Black Caps and the West Indies. New Zealand are much changed from the tests against England, but after an initial loss, it was a group of spinners led by Jayden Lennox who helped them level the series. We also share a few quick thoughts on the first round of New Zealand domestic contracts, and highlight some players we'll be keeping our eye on during the home summer.

We'll be back again next week with more news and views. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or !) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.

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Thanks for listening.

0:00 Intro
1:15 Brendon McCullum sacked as England Men's Test coach
6:10 Will McCullum see out his white-ball contract?
10:35 Has the Bazball era delivered on its initial promise?
23:20 Which parts should endure into the next era?
34:20 Who will replace Brendon McCullum?
39:30 Could it be Stephen Fleming?
44:30 England beat India 4-0 in T20s
51:10 Are we worried about India's T20 slump?
55:35 How do India manage Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from here?
1:01:35 Black Caps v West Indies
1:09:35 NZ domestic contracts of note