Ricky Ponting says he turned down the England Test cricket head coach job before Brendon McCullum was appointed

ByLewis Mason

Published 23/06/2023 at 09:55 GMT+1

Brendon McCullum, along with captain Ben Stokes, are leading England in this summer's Ashes series against Australia. They have enjoyed a positive start to their leadership, having won 11 out of 13 Tests in the build-up to the series. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has confirmed he was offered the job as head coach before McCullum was appointed.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting says he was offered the job as England’s Test cricket head coach before Brendon McCullum took on the role.

McCullum, alongside captain Ben Stokes, has helped England adopt an aggressive style of play which has come to be known as ‘Bazball’.

Despite an impressive start to their leadership - which saw them win 11 of their first 13 matches in charge - McCullum and Stokes have work to do after going 1-0 down in the Ashes series with a two-wicket defeat in the opening Test at Edgbaston.

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However, England’s style and approach could have looked very different this summer had Ponting responded more positively to the advances of the ECB.

Speaking to Guerilla Cricket, Ponting said: "I actually got asked before Brendon took the job – there you go, you guys might be the first to find that out.

"I did take some calls from [managing director] Robert Key as soon as he took over that job”, Ponting said.

As a player, Ponting was a hugely successful captain, with a winning rate of 67.91% when leading Australia, while he also guided them to back-to-back 50-over World Cup wins in 2003 and 2007.

He led from the front with the bat and still sits at number two in the list of all-time run scorers in Test cricket, just behind Sachin Tendulkar.

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His leadership qualities have seen him move into coaching and he remains head coach of Indian Premier League side Delhi Capitals.

However, when England came knocking, Ponting did not want to commit to a long-term project.

Ricky Ponting during day three of the fourth Ashes Test between England and Australia in 2005

Image credit: Getty Images

“I'm just not ready for a full-time international coaching job, where I am at in my life. Having travelled as much as I have, with young kids now, I just don’t want to be away as much as I was," he said.

"And even talking to Brendon [McCullum], his family is only just arriving today. When you have got kids that are in school, moving them around, that's not what I want to do."

The second Ashes Test gets underway at Lord's on Wednesday.

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