England are looking for a new Test coach. Brendon McCullum will stand down as England Men’s Test head coach but will continue to guide the white-ball teams, the ECB said in a statement on Sunday. The development comes close on the heels of Ben Stokes‘ retirement from international cricket following a nightclub brawl and a subsequent one-Test ban. Among the names doing the rounds is Andy Flower. Flower is a well-respected figure and is the coach of IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Flower’s colleague at RCB, Dinesh Karthik, believes Flower may not have the time to take up the England role.

“In all seriousness, I think he’ll be a great candidate,” Karthik said on Sky Sports.

“He definitely should be one of the names considered, but I would be very surprised if he took it, considering where England are and his packed schedule as well. He used to do a lot of leagues, and I’m sure that he didn’t have the time. I read an article which said that England would be happy to accommodate the IPL and then the rest of Test cricket, but with the schedule being the way it is, it’ll be very difficult. Like, when Jacob Bethell didn’t come in for the first Test, and Jofra Archer was not available, it kicked up a fuss, and there were plenty of people saying, ‘Why? How come one of the players is not there?’

“With Andy Flower, who already has a pre-signed contract with RCB, which would mean that he would miss parts of those Tests, will it be okay for England in the preparation for the Ashes if they don’t have a coach for a Test match or two? I heard there’s a Test match against Bangladesh in May next year, and if Andy Flower is with RCB, that could be a challenge as well. Is he good? Definitely. He is probably one of the best in the world, if not the best. Will he have time? That’s the question. I would be very surprised if the answer is yes,” he said.

England will have a new Test team head coach when they face Pakistan in a three-match series, which is a part of the World Test Championship.

England lost the recent Test series against New Zealand 1-2 but thrashed India 4-0 in the just-concluded T20I series.

McCullum’s tenure as head coach will come to an end after four years in charge, having led the England team through one of its most exciting and progressive periods in Test history.

ECB CEO Richard Gould said: “Brendon breathed new life into the 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.

“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.

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India seamer Gurnoor Brar held on to a crucial catch despite colliding with skipper Shubman Gill as the Men in Blue removed England’s Jos Buttler in the first ODI of the three-match series. The match is being played on Tuesday, July 14, at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

The wicket came off the very first ball of the 17th over. Prasidh Krishna bowled a good-length delivery on off stump, and Buttler looked to whip it across the leg side but could only manage a leading edge.

Charging in from mid-on, Brar converged with Gill, who came in from mid-off, as the two collided shoulder-to-shoulder. Despite the impact, Brar held on to the catch to send Buttler back for five off 14 balls.

Watch the clip of the wicket below:

Meanwhile, Prasidh Krishna struck again on the fourth ball of the same over, this time dismissing Sam Curran. The seamer bowled a length delivery slanting across the left-hander, who threw his hands at it and could only edge it through to Indian wicketkeeper KL Rahul. Curran departed for a duck off three balls, leaving England reeling at 80/5 after 16.4 overs.

India’s pace trio rocks England after a steady start

Opting to bat first, England made a steady start as openers Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell added 51 runs in the first 10 overs. The duo eventually stitched together a 61-run partnership off 74 balls before Gurnoor Brar broke the stand by dismissing Bethell for 14 off 31 balls in the 13th over. Brar struck again two deliveries later to remove Duckett, who scored 43 off 45 balls.

India continued to build the pressure in the following over as Jasprit Bumrah dismissed England skipper Harry Brook for one off three balls. Prasidh Krishna then joined the party in the 17th over, removing Jos Buttler for five off 14 balls and Sam Curran for a three-ball duck.

At the time of writing, England were 104/5 after 21 overs, with Joe Root unbeaten on nine off 13 balls and Will Jacks on 19 off 17 balls.