Pakistan white-ball head coach Mike Hesson has emerged to be among the contenders to replace Brendon McCullum as England’s test coach after his resignation, as reported by Daily Mail.
The McCullum era which started in May 2022, saw McCullum take over from Munro in 2022 but depart after England suffered a 2-1 home series loss to New Zealand in the recent test series.
The defeat led to the resignation of Test skipper Ben Stokes and coach, as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) look for a new skipper and coach ahead of a big home season.
England’s next Test series will start against Pakistan on August 19, it’s a three-match home series, which makes the task of the ECB to put together their team leadership all the more crucial.
Also read: Sarfaraz Ahmed set to become Pakistan test head coach
The ECB has compiled a shortlist of nine candidates from across the globe, including Hesson, for the role of coaching the English test team, according to the report.
The New Zealander has been coaching the Pakistan side in white-ball cricket since May 2025, and has had a significant influence on shaping the team’s white-ball squad.
The shortlist also features some well-known coaches such as former Australia head coach Justin Langer, ex-England coach Andy Flower, Richard Dawson, Jonathan Trott, Kumar Sangakkara, Stephen Fleming, Tom Moody and Adi Birrell.
The number of viable candidates for the job is small, acknowledged the ECB’s top executive, Richard Gould, recently.
“In fact, the short-list must be between six and 10 names globally, and they have to be of a diverse nature”, Gould said.
The Daily Mail report indicates that Flower and Langer are in pole position for the job while the presence of Hesson has stirred a lot of interest given his current coaching duties with Pakistan.
The ECB is likely to hire a new Test coach before the home side takes on Pakistan later this month.
Also read: Shan Masood likely to resign as Pakistan’s test captain after whitewash against Bangladesh
