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WATCH: Field of Dreams finalistsEXCLUSIVE: Why McCullum's England are primed for the Ashes race of their lives
Sport Nation • November 19th, 2025 9:36 am
England coach Brendon McCullum | Photo: Kerry Marshall/Photosport
If there's one thing that Sport Nation's Millsy & Guy can talk about with conviction, aside from their love of horse racing, it's Test cricket.
Add in England coach Brendon McCullum, former Blackcaps teammate of Kyle Mills and a proud horseman himself, what do you get? A cricket interview full of racing parlance, of course.
McCullum joined Mills and his co-host Guy Heveldt for a New Zealand-exclusive interview ahead of the first Ashes Test in Perth starting this Friday.
While there have been plenty of questions raised about how this England side has prepared for the biggest series on the international cricketing calendar stretching from late-November to early-January, McCullum has a dream scenario in his mind of how his stable can run a well-paced race come first ball at Optus Stadium.
"Our horse is good to go, right? Trained to the minute. It's had good prep, good lead in. We've got a full squad to pick from," McCullum said.
"When the jockey jumps on board, get that little bit of sharpness and then get down to the gates. Nice and quiet in the gates will be lovely. And then, just come out, maybe just under our own steam for a bit.
"When called upon at about the six hundred (metre mark), we make a long sustained run with the brilliant turn of foot to get over the top of them. That would be how I'd like to see it run. All I can say is the horse is well."
Joking aside, the former Blackcaps captain is well aware of how crucial this Ashes series could be in defining his coaching tenure with England's Test team.
With the media microscope set to be focused on his decision making from both Australian and English scribes, McCullum believes that while it can be a good thing to insulate his team from that noise, leaning into the grandeur of the occasion is just as important.
"We've been able to get our team to the space we're in at the moment, through the last three years of build up, familiar selections, and honing our squad to be ready for this challenge. (But) it guarantees us nothing.
"We're incredibly respectful of how good Australia are, how tough they are in these conditions. But we're so excited. We can't wait to get it on and and see where we sit and I'm sure if we play our style of cricket it's gonna give us every chance."
From who might open the batting for Australia alongside Usman Khawaja, to Jofra Archer's long-term plan to be in peak bowling condition for this series, McCullum has plenty to say ahead of the five-match Test series.
Listen to the full interview below:
The first Test between Australia and England begins on November 21 at Optus Stadium. Catch every ball of the Ashes on the Sport Nation app via SEN.
