McCullum in England future talks

CRICKET: England’s underpressure head coach Brendon McCullum has confirmed initial talks about his future have started in the aftermath of a messy Ashes tour.

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Brendon McCullum Pic: Philip Brown/Getty

(Philip Brown/Getty)

The heat is on McCullum after he led the team to a 4-1 defeat in Australia, with his England and Wales Cricket Board employers launching a formal review into the series within hours of the final Test concluding in Sydney.

The picture got even murkier when news emerged that Harry Brook, captain of the limitedovers side and Ben Stokes’ deputy Down Under, had been fined for a late-night altercation with a club bouncer on the eve of a one-day international defeat in New Zealand earlier this winter.

The entire regime is battling a growing perception of unprofessional preparation, loose training methods and a damaging drinking culture, leaving those in power with difficult questions to answer.