3 min readMar 23, 2026 10:29 PM IST
England coach Brendon McCullum, Test captain Ben Stokes and Director of Cricket Rob Key have all retained their positions after a review of England’s poor Ashes series was conducted by the England and Wales Cricket Board. The Ashes tour, which the English media propped up as a good opportunity for the visitors to finally win on Australian shores ended up being a 4-1 thrashing – and a series that was marred by England’s poor preparation, off-field controversies and dismal performances on the field.
Asked about the review and why McCullum continued to keep his position as coach, Rob Key said that after reflection, England believed they had the best personnel for the job.
“Don’t underestimate how heartbreaking this winter has been for us. For all the fans that went out there (Ashes). We had so much optimism to win a historic series in Australia and it didn’t happen. All the thinking we had done, every waking moment, trying to go and beat a strong Australian side… it didn’t happen,” said Key to Sky Sports. He then said, “You end up having to be at a point of reflection but ultimately for me it’s about who is the best person to take that team forward. I actually thought they got better throughout the Ashes, whereas in previous series’ it almost gets worse by the end.”
Key also praised England’s ICC T20 World Cup performance and lauded McCullum and Harry Brook for their leadership they showed. England reached the semi-final but were beaten by India despite a superlative Jacob Bethell performance.
“Then we went out to Sri Lanka for the World Cup and Brendan and Harry showed unbelievable resilience. The way they led that side, the style of cricket that they played. There’s a lot that’s made of this England team just playing one way. It’s ultimately about who we think can take English cricket forward and for me that was Brendon McCullum,” said Key.
The DoC also reiterated why they chose to continue with Key and said that the former New Zealand batter ‘cared’ about English cricket.
“There’s no point keeping Brendon McCullum if you want him to completely change who he is,” said Key to BBC Sport. “All of us have to evolve, we have to get better. It’s wrong to think he doesn’t care, he doesn’t think about everything. Everything he does is to enhance English cricket.”
