Jos Buttler goes down as arguably the greatest white-ball player England has ever had: Brendon McCullum

After being appointed as the head coach of England's white-ball teams, Brendon McCullum hailed Jos Buttler as the country's best batter in the limited-overs formats. McCullum will form a partnership with white-ball skipper Buttler in a bid to revive the Three Lions' fortunes after they faced debacles in their last two ICC events.

McCullum, who has been England's red-ball coach since June 2022, will begin his tenure as white-ball coach from January 2025 onwards. His contract is extended until the end of 2027. The former New Zealand captain was effusive in his praise for Buttler in a recent interview.

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"I think Jos has had an unbelievable career. If he were to retire tomorrow, he goes down as arguably the greatest white-ball player England has ever had. He has nothing left to prove," McCullum told Sky Sports.

Buttler scored a crucial 59 in England's ODI World Cup final triumph against New Zealand in 2019. He also led the European giants to the T20 World Cup title in 2022. Buttler's credentials in white-ball cricket, especially in the shortest format are remarkable. He has awe-inspiring strike rates of 117.09 in ODIs and 146.30 in T20Is.

England failed to make it to the knockout rounds of the ODI World Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup 2024. However, McCullum feels that there is a need to bring in fresh faces into the limited overs squads to turn the fortunes.

I think there is a thirst for change: McCullum

"I think there is a thirst for change. The one-day and T20 teams have been incredibly successful. It is in need of refreshing and bringing in some of that new talent which has probably been inspired by the very people that they are going to end up replacing,” he added.

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England will be returning to white-ball cricket this month as they are scheduled to take on arch-rivals Australia in three T20Is and five ODIs. The first T20I takes place in Southampton on Wednesday, September 11.