“Brendon breathed new life into England Men’s Test team during an exciting period which saw some amazing victories, and we’re grateful for all he has given to the role,” Gould said. “We now believe that the time is right to make a change for the Test team as we target victory in the Ashes next summer.”

McCullum took charge of England’s Test team in 2022 and, along with captain Ben Stokes, inspired a run of 10 wins in his 11 matches in charge, as England played with uncharacteristic and unprecedented attacking flair. But results have tailed off badly since, and he leaves the job without a series win over either Australia or India.

Overall, McCullum’s record as Test coach stands at 27 wins, two draws, and 20 defeats, with seven of those losses coming in England’s last nine Test matches. His tenure both started and finished with home series against his native New Zealand: a 3-0 win in 2022, and defeat last month that culminated in Stokes’ sudden retirement.

McCullum said after England’s heavy defeat at Trent Bridge, where New Zealand clinched their series win, that his commitment to English cricket “has never wavered” and that he was “pretty sure the plan is that we just keep cracking on” when asked about his future as Test head coach.

But after a week of discussions with the ECB, he was informed on Saturday morning – before England’s fifth T20I against India in Southampton – that he would be removed from the Test job.

Rob Key, England’s managing director, decided two years ago to extend McCullum’s brief to include white-ball cricket when his contract was renewed until the end of 2027. McCullum now departs the Test job with over a year left to run on that deal, though will remain in charge of the white-ball teams until the end of next year’s 50-over World Cup in southern Africa.

The ECB said that the process to recruit a replacement for McCullum would begin immediately, and the decision means a return to the split coaching model that England used from 2022-24 when Matthew Mott was in charge of their white-ball teams. Potential candidates could include Andrew Flintoff, Richard Dawson, Ryan Campbell and Justin Langer.

Andy Flower, who coached England to three Ashes wins in 2009, 2010-11 and 2013, is also likely to be a target, though would need a lucrative contract to persuade him to resume a full-time international role given his success in the IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Key said that it had been an “absolute privilege” to work with McCullum, and that he left the Test team “well-set and poised to achieve great things” despite recent results and the leadership vacuum. Harry Brook is the clear favourite to take over from Stokes as captain but the ECB must weigh up whether he can lead across formats.

McCullum had swerved questions about his own future on Saturday night after England’s win over India in Southampton sealed a 4-0 clean-sweep in the T20I series and took them to No. 1 in the ICC’s rankings in the format. His tenure as white-ball coach started with a group-stage exit at the Champions Trophy, though England reached the T20 World Cup semi-final in March.

“I’ve absolutely loved coaching the Test side and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together,” McCullum said. “There’ve been some unbelievable highs and a few tough days along the way, but that’s all part of taking on a challenge like this. It’s been a privilege and an honour, and I’m grateful. Grateful to the players, the staff and the fans who supported us on the journey.

“I wish the Test team nothing but success. There’s a hell of a lot of talent in that dressing room and they’re a special bunch of lads. I’ll always be backing the boys, with a smile on my face, and hoping they keep taking the game on. I know they’ll continue to make people proud.”

[Cricinfo]

Knight, who also announced that she would retire after this match two hours after leaving the field on Saturday evening, was also denied a fairytale farewell. With the match all but gone – India had set England the second-highest target in Women’s Test history – the best she could hope for was an individual innings of note. But she too fell to Gaud, caught at short leg by Richa Ghosh for 13.

Gaud, Sayali Satghare and Sneh Rana took two wickets apiece as Jones and Mady Villiers staged a 67-run stand for the sixth wicket.

Earlier, Bhatia had gone where fellow top-order batter Smriti Mandhana could not with her twin fifties in the match, falling 13 and 30 runs shy of her ton in each. Richa Ghosh also reached an unbeaten fifty, at which point India declared their second innings. Resuming on 39 not out with India one wicket down and leading by 269, Bhatia continued to grind England into submission.

She brought up her second Test fifty with an effortless drive down the ground off Lauren Bell and she punished Issy Wong for bowling too full and too wide by picking off boundaries with ease. She struck 14 fours all up and raised her ton off 145 balls with a drive off Wong through deep extra cover, punching the air in celebration as she ran a single.

The performance bookended a mixed tour of England for Bhatia, which began with a half-century in the opening T20I at Chelmsford – her first appearance in the format since April 2024 after undergoing knee surgery – and ended with a Test ton. In between, she made 41 runs in three innings of India’s T20 World Cup campaign, where they failed to make it out of the group stage.

Bhatia started the day surviving a failed attempt to drive at a Bell delivery which beat the inside edge and clipped off stump but didn’t dislodge the bails. She watched as Mandhana added just one to her overnight score of 69 before falling to Bell, well taken by wicketkeeper Amy Jones diving full-stretch to her right and collecting the ball millimetres above the turf.

Bell then accounted for Jemimah Rodrigues with one that jagged in to hit off stump. Soon after, she left the field suffering from abdominal muscle soreness, which kept her out of action for the remainder of the innings.

Cue Ecclestone, who had removed Shafali Verma on the second evening, to account for India captain Harmanpreet Kaur on this third day, although it took an England review to confirm Harmanpreet was plumb lbw.

Ecclestone had Deepti Sharma out in similar fashion, with one that turned in from outside off stump to hit Deepti on the back hip, before Bhatia holed out to extra cover. She claimed her fifth wicket bowling Sneh Rana with one that stayed low. She looked ready to collapse exhausted into her team-mates’ congratulatory embraces.

Richa, who relinquished the wicketkeeping gloves to Bhatia for this match, batted with freedom and was scoring at a run-a-ball when she was dropped on 43 by Wong at long-on off Ecclestone. She brought up her fifty with a single through the covers off Ecclestone, at which point Harmanpreet declared.

During the India innings, news broke of Brendon McCullum’s sacking as England Men’s Test head coach, continuing a theme of this summer where drama in those quarters has overshadowed the women’s events. Two weeks ago, Ben Stokes announced his international retirement in the middle of a Test against New Zealand, right as eventual T20 Women’s World Cup champions Australia were knocking India out of the tournament at Lord’s.

On this occasion, the England Women’s team might have welcomed the distraction as they crumbled. But for India, who comprehensively outplayed them, the limelight should be theirs.

Scores:
England Women  170 in 59.1 overs [Amy Jones 52; Kranti Gaud 5-37] and 130 for 6 in 40 overs (Amy Jones 52*; Sayali Satghare 2-19, Kranti Gaud 2-40) need 327 runs to beat India Women 285 in 74.5 overs [Smriti Mandhana 83, Harmanpreet Kaur 58, Deepti Sharma 57; Sophie Ecclestone 3-68]  and 341 for 7 dec. in 86.3 overs (Smriti Mandhana 70, Yastika Bhatia 113, Richa Ghosh 50*; Sophie  Ecclestone 5-118)

[Cricinfo]