McCullum & Key very lucky to survive - Vaughan
Former captain Michael Vaughan says England head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key were fortunate to avoid the sack in a post-Ashes review.
Rob Key and Brendon McCullum were appointed England team managing director and head coach respectively in 2022 [Getty Images] Former captain Michael Vaughan says England head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key were "very lucky" not to be sacked in a post-Ashes review. McCullum, Key and Test captain Ben Stokes are to remain in their posts despite the 4-1 Test series defeat in Australia. It was a tour which critics claimed involved inadequate planning, and which was blighted by poor performances and off-the-field issues.
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Richard Gould said during a media briefing to discuss the review's findings that dispensing with McCullum and Key would have been the "easy thing to do". Vaughan told a Test Match Special debate programme he did not think Stokes' position as captain "was ever a question" but that Key and McCullum were fortunate to survive. "I think they're very, very lucky," said Vaughan, who memorably skippered England to victory in the 2005 Ashes.
"There's not many management groups that deliver something so poor away from home in an Ashes series and get the chance to carry on. "They seem to me it's like a football management team. I actually felt if one went, they all went.
They've had some exciting times, but they haven't won enough. What England fans are looking for now is, what change [will happen]? " McCullum and Key took a more hands-off approach to the England team which critics felt led to an overly relaxed environment.