Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum named head coach of England Test team

LONDON: Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has been named head coach of the England Test team. The announcement was made this evening via the official Twitter handle of England cricket.

"McCullum, 40, will be in place to start his role for next month's LV= Insurance three-match Test series against New Zealand, which gets underway at Lord's from 2 June, subject to obtaining the necessary work visa," said an official statement from ECB.

He is currently the head coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and will join the England team after the IPL season.

The ECB's selection panel of Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison, Managing Director of England's Men's Cricket Rob Key, Strategic Adviser Andrew Strauss and Performance Director Mo Bobat unanimously agreed that he was the outstanding candidate for the role, having impressed during the competitive interview process.

Speaking about his appointment, McCullum said: "I would like to say how pleased I am to be given this opportunity to positively contribute to England's Test cricket set-up and move the team forward into a more successful era. In taking this role on, I am acutely aware of the significant challenges the team faces at present, and I strongly believe in my ability to help the team emerge as a stronger force once we've confronted them head-on."