Former-England World Cup winner, Alex Hartley has taken a strong stance against the ECB, criticizing their decision to announce Brendon McCullum's removal as England men's Test coach at such a pivotal moment. She pointed out that the news broke during the third innings of the historic India-England Women's Test at Lord's, a groundbreaking event as it marked the first women's international red-ball match ever held at the Home of Cricket. Hartley emphasized that this occasion deserved the spotlight, given its significance for the advancement of women's cricket. She believes that if the ECB genuinely wanted to champion women's cricket, they could have held off on sharing such major news until after the four-day Test wrapped up. 

Speaking on BBC Test Match Special, “Wait till Tuesday. This game is done in the fact that England aren’t going to win this Test match, but there’s a Test match to save. There’s an ODI series starting Tuesday (against India’s men’s team). I completely understand that they want to get the news out before then, but I’m sorry, [this Test is] something more important for me and women’s cricket.”  

However, she maintained that the Lord's Test carried greater significance for women's cricket and deserved to remain the main story until the final day of play 

England's Recent Failures Under Brendon McCullum's Coaching Era

The criticism surrounding the timing of decisions came as England's Test team faced its toughest stretch under McCullum. The first signs of trouble emerged back in 2025 when England couldn't reclaim the series against India on home soil. The five-match series ended in a 2-2 draw, despite England crafting batting-friendly pitches to match their aggressive style. India quickly found their rhythm, with Shubman Gill topping the scoring charts with an impressive 754 runs, while England struggled to seize control in the crucial moments of the series.

Things took a turn for the worse during the 2025-26 Ashes series in Australia. England headed into the tour with hopes of reclaiming the urn for the first time since 2015, but instead faced a disheartening 4-1 defeat. Australia dominated the first three Tests before sealing the series in Sydney. England's bold batting strategy repeatedly faltered against Australia's pace attack, revealing significant technical flaws across the lineup.

The situation deteriorated further in 2026 when New Zealand clinched a Test series victory in England for the first time in years. England lost the three-match series 2-1, suffering defeats at The Oval and Trent Bridge, where New Zealand's batsmen took charge right from the start. Shortly after, Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket, marking the end of an era that had defined the Bazball approach. With seven losses in nine Tests and no significant series wins, the ECB ultimately decided it was time to part ways with McCullum as Test coach.