Brook’s time will come as Test captain – McCullum
England white-ball coach Brendon McCullum has said that Harry Brook's "time will come" as Test captain, backing Joe Root's reappointment to the role in the meantime. Brook, England's white-ball leader and former Test vice-captain, was overlooked for the Test captaincy after Ben Stokes' surprise retirement, with Root – who previously captained England in 64 Tests between 2017 and 2022 – brought back instead. The comments matter because they signal how England plan to manage leadership across formats as Brook juggles his growing white-ball responsibilities with ambitions in the longer format.
McCullum, who was sacked as Test coach in July following poor results and off-field issues, made the remarks during The Hundred while preparing Brook's white-ball side for next year's 50-over World Cup. Brook, 27, recently led England to a 2-1 ODI series win over India and has been in strong form in The Hundred. Root's first Test back in charge begins on 19 August against Pakistan, with new Test coach Stephen Fleming – McCullum's close friend, whom he praised as "a little bit like me, but better" – taking over from December's South Africa tour, having missed the Pakistan series to Marcus Trescothick.
- McCullum says Brook will eventually become England's Test captain
- Root leads the Test side again, starting versus Pakistan on 19 August
- Stephen Fleming replaces McCullum as Test coach from December
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Brook is already England's white-ball captain, so appointing him to the Test role would provide the single, unified leadership England requires across formats rather than fragmenting the captaincy. At 27, he is at the optimal age to develop as a Test captain, and deferring his appointment risks disrupting the career trajectory on which England had positioned him as Test vice-captain—a trajectory that should naturally lead to him captaining the red-ball side.
The case against
Root's reappointment provides essential stability following Stokes' sudden retirement, and his track record as a proven, successful Test captain means England benefits immediately from his proven competence. The separation of captaincies is sensible and pragmatic: it allows Brook to focus entirely on establishing himself in the white-ball role without simultaneously shouldering the burden of Test captaincy, giving him space to mature as a leader whilst maintaining high performance in both formats.