Former star calls for Ravi Shastri to replace Brendon McCullum as England head coach after Ashes collapse

Former English spinner Monty Panesar suggests India's Ravi Shastri should replace Brendon McCullum as England head coach.

After England’s crushing Ashes defeat to Australia inside just 11 days, former England spinner Monty Panesar has urged the ECB to rethink its leadership, boldly proposing ex-India head coach Ravi Shastri as the man to replace current head coach Brendon McCullum.

McCullum’s reputation as a commanding leader has taken repeated hits following a disappointing run of results, both home and away. The ongoing 3–0 Ashes scoreline in Australia has only intensified scrutiny on the former New Zealand captain and his much-debated “Bazball” philosophy, which has struggled to deliver the desired results against a ruthless Australian side.

Panesar, however, feels England need someone who truly understands the mindset required to beat Australia — and in his view, that person is Ravi Shastri. Speaking to journalist Ravi Bisht, Panesar said, “You have to think: who exactly knows how to beat Australia? How do you take advantage of Australia’s weaknesses, mentally, physically, and tactically? I think Ravi Shastri should become England’s next head coach.”

England’s recent Test record has fueled Panesar’s argument. Since the beginning of 2024, England have suffered 13 Test defeats, managing only 12 wins under McCullum. The results reflect a side searching for consistency, direction, and – according to Panesar — a stronger voice at the top.

Despite the criticism, Panesar made it clear his suggestion comes from a place of respect and tactical insight, believing England need a coach who has the experience, strategy, and psychological edge to challenge Australia in their own backyard.

Now, with pressure mounting and England’s red-ball identity under question, Panesar’s statement has added fresh momentum to the leadership debate in English cricket.

Under Ravi Shastri, India achieved historic success against Australia on their home soil, winning the 2018–19 Border–Gavaskar Trophy 2–1 and repeating the feat with the same 2–1 scoreline in the 2020–21 series.

In contrast, Brendon McCullum recently acknowledged uncertainty over his future as England’s head coach following the humiliating Ashes defeat in Adelaide.

“I don’t know,” he said when asked whether he would still be in charge at the start of the 2026 English summer. “It’s not really up to me, is it? I’ll just keep trying to do the job, try to learn the lessons we haven’t quite got right here, and try to make some adjustments. Those questions are for someone else, not for me.”

“It’s a pretty good gig. It’s good fun. You travel the world with the lads and try to play some exciting cricket and achieve things. For me, it’s about trying to get the very best out of the people and accomplish what you can with them. Those other decisions are up to other people. But from my point of view, I’m enjoying the time I’ve got with these guys, and I think we’ve made some progress from when I took over to where we are. We’re not the finished article, but we’ve definitely improved as a cricket team. We’ve developed an identity. Now’s the time in these last two Tests to really show that identity and try to salvage something from the series,” added McCullum.

• 
• 
•