The appointment of Brendon McCullum as England Test team's head coach is an exciting gamble

Change requires taking a risk and when you do, you discover what dynamism is and rediscover passion in a new way. Again, when you choose to play cricket in an aggressive fashion, you end up learning so many things. In fact, such an approach becomes the foundation for a better tomorrow.

Team India under Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri could be a very good example, while Bangladesh under Chandika Hathurusingha's guidance hinted of becoming the next big thing in world cricket. No one could forget how Brendon McCullum changed the face of New Zealand in world cricket.

For the last couple of years, England's fortunes in Test cricket have been frustrating and there have not been several efforts to satisfy the fans and critics. Still, the English think tank kept their faith in captain Joe Root and coach Chris Silverwood. But nothing changed and their respective roles came to a sad end along with the team director, Ashley Giles.

England are considering an overall change in the team and they started off with the appointment of former England batter and television commentator Rob Key as the managing director of the England cricket team and Ben Stokes as the skipper of the Test side.

Now, it was time to appoint a coach and they ended up shaking hands with a New Zealander, who was extremely popular as a cricketer during his playing days but has hardly any coaching experience in the longer format. He is none other than Brendon McCullum.

With the more experienced Gary Kirsten also in the running, the appointment of McCullum has come as a surprise to many.

Perhaps England are looking for someone who would act as a perfect foil to Stokes' aggression and instill the fearsome brand of cricket which is badly needed at the moment.

One cannot forget how McCullum changed the style of New Zealand despite a scratchy start back in 2013. A few years later, the world witnessed how he formed a cocktail of all-action, high-octane cricket, and great sportsmanship that not only entertained everyone but earned respect and accolades at the same time.

McCullum's dynamism became a role model for many, and Eoin Morgan was the one who was inspired and tried his best to shape the England ODI team in that way. Since 2015, England's approach to white-ball cricket has been a revolution.

However, captaining and coaching a team is different and there is no guarantee that McCullum - who has the experience of managing teams in the Twenty20 Franchise Leagues - will reap a rich harvest as the head coach in the longer formats.

Keeping that in mind, McCullum's appointment is an exciting gamble.

This appointment is based on McCullum's vast experience in the international arena and his influence as a leader. The man possesses a dynamic personality and developing a winning culture within the team via an aggressive brand of cricket is his specialty.

When he replaced Ross Taylor as the skipper back in 2013, New Zealand were steamrolled in South Africa, and immediately, McCullum decided to chalk out the problems within the team that was not playing as a team and suffering from self-belief.

It was important to bring back the passion for the game and fall in love with it again and only then can the Kiwis rediscover themselves.

The team as a whole started to love cricket as a school kid would love his cricket kit and spending the morning and afternoon on the field - it worked and sowed the seeds for the future.

England are thinking that McCullum might be the missing piece of the puzzle that they are looking for and he might be the one who could turn things around.

Note: This article has been published at Sportskeeda on 13/05/2022 The appointment of Brendon McCullum as England Test team's head coach is an exciting gamble

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