England have lost the Ashes 2025 in just 11 days of cricket.
Former captain Alastair Cook has dismissed claims that he might join Brendon McCullum-led England coaching staff as assistant coach after the Ashes 2025 loss in Australia. The 39-year-old stated that there has been “zero contact” about any such role, insisting that the speculation comes solely from media chatter.
As England’s tour of Australia nears its end, there are questions about the team’s leadership. Amid this, former captain and well-known commentator Michael Atherton wrote in The Times that Cook could be a great addition to McCullum’s coaching staff. He also believes that Cook’s discipline and deep knowledge of Test cricket could balance the motivational approach of McCullum.
“McCullum does not have an assistant coach, as such. Could one of the ‘has-beens’ step into a right-hand man role beside McCullum for Test matches? Alastair Cook, if he could be persuaded, would be a perfect candidate. If McCullum’s great strength is making his players feel 10 feet tall, then Cook could help with the drive and the discipline,” Atherton wrote.
England’s coaching setup under McCullum is currently quite small. It includes batting coach Marcus Trescothick, spin coach Jeetan Patel, and Tim Southee was replaced by David Saker as bowling coach in an interim capacity.
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While speaking on TNT Sports during the Sydney Test, Cook laughed off the suggestion and emphasised that he had not discussed this possibility with anyone from the National team.
“The article needed to be 800 words, and Mike Atherton had done 600 and used the final 200 and threw something in. Look, at some stage in my life, would I like to be involved in the England cricket team? I think I would like to try and make a difference. There has been zero contact,” he responded.
Alastair Cook is one of England’s greatest cricketers and knows what it takes to succeed, having played 161 Tests and scored 12,472 runs, including 33 Test centuries. He has also won the Ashes, both at home as captain and away as a player, and has led the nation to victories at home and in India.
He retired from Test cricket in 2018 but plays occasionally in domestic competitions. Hence, coaching might be part of his future, but it is not an immediate plan.
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