Brendon McCullum ‘would love to carry on’ as England head coach despite tough winter

However, he acknowledged that mistakes had been made throughout a “challenging” six months, in particular questions about the team’s drinking culture during their 4–1 loss in the Ashes, during which McCullum admitted England had gone away from the attacking ethos they had hoped to take to Australia.

“Yeah, it’s been busy, hasn’t it?” McCullum told Sky Sports. “There’s been a bit going on across different formats, but I think the white-ball side has been exceptional in the post-Ashes period. We’ve played some good cricket, and it’s got a real identity about it as well under Brookie’s captaincy.

“Obviously the Test winter was disappointing. We went to Australia with high hopes and we weren’t able to deliver, and that’s something that you’ve got to look and say, ‘what are the things that you need to improve?’

“Did we play the style of play that we took down to Australia or did we not? If we’ve been honest with ourselves, I’d probably say we didn’t. And that’s something that we need to have a good hard conversation around. What is the direction, or style, that we’re wanting to be consistent with?”

“Look, I love the job,” McCullum said. “I think it’s a great job. It doesn’t come without its challenges, of course, but that’s the nature of it. I feel like we’ve achieved some really cool things over the last few years, but there’s still so much to achieve with the side across all formats.

“And I would love to carry on,” he added. “We’ll see what unfolds over the next little while. For now, after being on the road for a fair bit of time, it’s a matter of getting home and hopefully watching some fast horses and playing some shocking golf, and it’s taking a bit of time to reflect.

“As you always do, when you’re a player, when you’re a captain and as you are as a coach, you let things land, you try and then objectively look at what is working, what isn’t working, and what things you need to ensure you try and rectify.”

Speaking after England’s seven-run loss, Brook reiterated his support for McCullum, stating that he should “125 percent” stay in the role.

“He’s the best head coach I’ve ever had,” Brook said. “The way that he speaks to everyone, the way he’s got an aura in the dressing-room. The things he did as a player were unbelievable and he’s just carried that into his coaching. The things he’s done over four years have changed English cricket, hopefully for the best.”

McCullum returned the compliment when addressing Brook’s captaincy, which had resumed under a cloud in Sri Lanka earlier this year, following revelations about his confrontation with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand in October. However, he has led from the front with the bat, including with a crucial century from No.3 against Pakistan, and in the field, with his focus on a spin-first bowling attack.

“There’s guys in the team that have grown as players and grown as leaders as well,” McCullum said. “For a young group of players to have run India as close as we could, in such a hostile environment, is an outstanding effort. Naturally, we’re disappointed that we’re now not going to get a chance of lifting the trophy, but there’s lots to be proud of.

“Off the field, there’s been challenges, but I’ve been around this circuit now for 20-odd years, and there’s always challenges, particularly when you’ve got young men touring the world and lots of pressure on their shoulders.

“Of course it’s frustrating, but every team has these issues and some are made more public than others,” he added. “In the end, the guys put their hand up, they know they made a shocking mistake, and they were disciplined accordingly, and I thought it was dealt with and we moved on.

“It’s just a matter of trying to put space between those times, and educate, assist, protect, support,” McCullum said. “Ultimately as a coach, you’re in the business of building men for life. And that means sometimes there are going to be mistakes, which need to be learned from, and you’re just there to try to hopefully lend a guiding hand and make sure they’re not catastrophic mistakes.”