England’s McCullum told to improve relations with counties after Ashes review
Brendon McCullum has been told he must improve relations with the counties after being backed to stay on as England coach despite this winter’s 4-1 Ashes defeat.The Guardian revealed the day after England’s T20 World Cup exit three weeks ago that McCullum would continue, a decision that will be confirmed on Monday by the England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive, Richard Gould, and managing director of men’s cricket, Rob Key.Gould and Key will also outline the details of the ECB’s post-Ashes review and the reasons for keeping faith with McCullum following England’s humbling in Australia.As reported earlier this month, key to McCullum’s survival has been the New Zealander’s agreement to adopt a more rigorous approach to training and preparation during the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, where a midnight curfew was introduced, a change of approach that will be expected to continue.In addition, the ECB has made clear to McCullum that more effort should be made to build good relationships with the counties, many of whom feel marginalised by the coach’s approach to selection.
The Surrey head coach, Gareth Batty, appeared to speak for many in the game last week when he said that the pathway between county and international cricket had become “misted over”, despite the fact that five Surrey players were on the Ashes tour, with three in England’s T20 World Cup squad.Key has taken the first step by inviting the 18 county directors of cricket to Lord’s for a meeting next week to discuss their selection strategy, which will also be attended by the ECB’s performance director, Ed Barney.The ECB is also in the process of appointing a new national selector to replace Luke Wright, who stood down after the World Cup for personal reasons.One potential improvement to the current model that is being considered is to appoint liaison officers from within the counties to hold regular talks over selection with Key, McCullum and the new national selector.
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Jimmy Kimmel on Trump Pearl Harbor joke: ‘Everything he knows about it begins and ends with the Ben Affleck movie’
With The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on hiatus until at least 27 March, late-night hosts on Thursday discussed Donald Trump’s snafu while meeting Japan’s prime minister, his caginess over Iran, and new findings in the Epstein investigations.On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host discussed Trump meeting with Sanae Takaichi at the White House. As a welcome gift, the Japanese prime minister presented the US president with 250 cherry trees to commemorate the upcoming 250th US anniversary.“This is a guy who paved over the Rose Garden,” commented Kimmel. “What is he going to do with 250 cherry trees? He’ll probably use them to build a Waffle House or something
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The actor has played many classic roles and his love of film is clear in his garden, from the Saltburn proscenium arch to the pergola where Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd have partied the night away Step into Richard E Grant’s garden in Richmond, London, and you’ll be met with a rather unconventional sight. Instead of the daffodils and tulips you’d usually find in an English garden at this time of year, Grant’s space is full of props and decorations from the films he’s starred in – from Saltburn to Carrie Cracknell’s 2022 adaptation of Persuasion.After any job, he says, “I go to the production department and try and buy or bribe my way” to get pieces to put in his garden. The space has, until now, been a private spot for Grant to entertain his actor friends. But now he has shared it with the world as part of the Royal Horticultural Society’s new podcast, Roots
Natural History Museum tops UK attraction list with record visitors
London’s Natural History Museum (NHM) was the most popular attraction in the UK during 2025, with its renovated gardens, new climate gallery and lack of entry fee leading to record-breaking numbers of visitors.More than 7.1 million people passed through its doors, a 13% increase in visitors year on year and an all-time record for any UK museum or gallery.Bernard Donoghue, the director of the Association for Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva), which compiles the annual ranking, said the NHM’s success was partly down to its renovated outdoor spaces.“It’s an astonishingly fun, joyful day out and it’s free,” Donoghue said
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