Ashes 2023: Australia great Ricky Ponting claims England offered him coaching job ahead of Brendon McCullum

Australia legend Ricky Ponting has revealed that he was approached for the position of England men’s Test team head coach before Brendon McCullum.

After England’s humiliating 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia in early 2022, head coach Chris Silverwood, batting mentor Graham Thorpe, and managing director Ashley Giles all lost their jobs, and Joe Root stepped down as captain.

Rob Key became the ECB’s director of men’s cricket in April 2022, and the following month appointed former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum as the new Test coach. McCullum was the “outstanding candidate” for the role, according to Key and his selection committee, which included strategic adviser Andrew Strauss, chief executive Tom Harrison, and performance director Mo Bobat.

With Ben Stokes as captain and McCullum, England has adopted an ultra-attacking style dubbed ‘Bazball,’ which has resulted in only three losses in 14 Tests. Brendon McCullum has overseen a revolution as England men’s Test coach, but things could have been very different if Ricky Ponting had taken the job.

Ponting admitted that Key contacted him about the coaching job before McCullum and explained why he turned it down. The 48-year-old is currently the head coach of Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League and worked alongside former Australian coach Justin Langer during the 2019 World Cup in England.

“I actually got asked before Brendon took the job,” Ponting told Guerilla Cricket this week.

“I did take some calls from Robert Key as soon as he took over that job. But I’m just not ready for a full-time international coaching job, where I’m at in my life. Having traveled as much as I have, with young kids now I just don’t want to be away as much as I was.

“And even talking to Brendon, his family is only just arriving today. When you’ve got kids that are in school, moving them around, that’s not what I want to do.”

Meanwhile, Ricky Ponting worked as a pundit for Sky Sports during the Ashes and made astute observations of the game throughout the first Test at Edgbaston.