In New Zealand, McCullum’s England role provokes mixed emotions

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Brendon McCullum’s accession to the English men’s Test cricket throne comes with mixed emotions from a New Zealand perspective. On the one hand McCullum’s anointment is an inspiring south-Dunedin-boy-made-good story; a doff of the cap to the New Zealand cricket revolution he led as captain from 2012 until 2016, before ceding the reins to Kane Williamson.

The juxtaposition, however, involves McCullum starting his four-year tenure, which is expected to earn him £2m, against the Black Caps at Lord’s on 2 June in the first of three Tests against his countrymen.

Such a paradigm shift evokes a level of awkwardness one might expect to confront from an ex turning up to Christmas dinner. For the Black Caps, McCullum’s immediate promotion sours the toast.

Six years after his international retirement, any form of lingering loyalty to his country, to those former teammates he captained with such distinction – Williamson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Neil Wagner among them – has been swatted to the boundary.

The innate knowledge McCullum boasts on those influential senior figures, many of whom helped guide New Zealand to the inaugural World Test Championship triumph last June, will now be used to plot their downfall.

The Black Caps are unlikely to ever admit as much publicly, but there could be the odd uncomfortable glance as McCullum sings God Save the Queen and tucks into the glazed lamb cutlets at lunch on day one.

There is an intense curiosity that McCullum has never expressed an open desire to coach New Zealand yet