The 47-year old Steve Harmison has called for England head coach Brendon McCullum to quit after Ben Stokes’ retirement announcement.
Harmison was not a fan of Bazball cricket that McCullum introduced during his head coach stint with England cricket.
Despite some initial success, the bazball cricket has been considered a failure in recent times.
They suffered a 4-1 defeat in the Ashes and a 2-2 draw against India. They are also in verge of suffering a defeat in the final test of the New Zealand tour of England 2026.
Three Lions will be needing 270 runs on the final day of the decider test at Nottingham. According to Steve Harmison, the duo was taking the England cricket team forward, and if Stokes is not there, the New Zealand team should also quit.
Addressing the topic, Steve Harmison said, “McCullum has got to go with him. And that’s it. If we’re gonna go through that conversation, McCullum’s got to go with him. I’ve got a huge amount of respect for Brendon McCullum as a person, but this Bazball stuff, that’s not Test cricket. That’s amateur.”
“I’d love to know what Joe Root’s thinking of this, walking out to bat. I’d really love to know what Joe Root’s thinking about this whole last two-week period.
One of England’s all-time greatest captains, Ben Stokes, has decided to retire from international cricket at the end of this Test match.
Ben, you have been the most inspirational captain, leader and legend this team could have ever hoped for.
We love you so much and wish you… pic.twitter.com/U5grq0F0kj
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 28, 2026
“But I think with Ben Stokes going now, Brendon McCullum’s influence on this team now, I’m not convinced it’s great for English cricket, especially in the Test Match Arena, with an Ashes series less than 12 months away,” he continued.
This comes after Ben Stokes decided to retire from international cricket by the end of the third test.
“It might sound quite selfish, but this decision is genuinely the best thing for me right now,” said Ben Stokes.
“I hope it’s the best thing for the team going forward, but I also hope it’s what will allow me to keep loving this game that has given me so much.”
“The Lord’s Test, for me, was something that brought back negative feelings about where I was in my career. I’d worked so hard since getting home [from Australia] to put things right, or at least that’s what I thought I was doing. I put so much time and effort into doing that, and I just burned myself out,” added Ben Stokes.
