Former England captain Michael Atherton believes fans will find it “unusual” that he does not lose his job because of the “mistakes” he made during the Ashes’ heavy defeat in Australia.
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Richard Gould confirmed on Monday that Ben Stokes, managing director Rob Key and head coach Brendon McCullum’s jobs are safe despite the club’s 4-1 defeat Down Under.
Gould said after a “thorough review” of the defeat, “a lot of thought” had gone into keeping the same personnel, despite scrutiny of England’s preparations, selection and conduct.
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Rob Key joins the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast to reflect on the Ashes defeat and discuss criticism of the performance
Asked by Key on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast, Atherton said: “I think people would find it extraordinary that there was no accountability for the mistakes that were made at The Ashes.
“It’s not necessarily bloodbath that people want, but I think they want real accountability. If there aren’t changes in key personnel, they’re going to say, ‘Well, there’s no accountability.'”
“One of the criticisms of the players over the last couple of years is that underperformance does not lead to accountability. It’s the same at the top.”
Key acknowledged that he had made a mistake, calling the period since the series loss “the toughest three months I’ve ever experienced in my career, if not my life,” and promised to change his approach to selection.
When quizzed by Key about what England had learned, former captain Nasser Hussain said: “You talked about what you learned, but if I were an England fan sitting there I would have said, ‘This is your job before the Ashes, not two months after the Ashes.’
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ECB chief executive Richard Gould defended his decision to back the coaching team of Brendon McCullum and Rob Key, who oversaw the Ashes defeat this winter.
“Why are you studying now? Why didn’t you do these things? Why didn’t you do all these things? Have you been grading your own homework for the past few months?”
Key and McCallum: “Lucky to survive?”
Mr Gould insisted that football’s hire-and-fire culture was not a useful model for the future of English cricket, despite Mr Key and Mr McCullum’s predecessors Chris Silverwood and Ashley Giles leaving after a disastrous 4-0 Ashes away defeat four years ago.
Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott suggested that Key and McCullum had “sabotaged” the Ashes campaign and lamented the ECB’s lack of accountability for failing to make changes.
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ECB managing director Rob Key speaks to Sky Sports about why he feels Brendon McCullum is the right person to take England Cricket forward and how they are dealing with the aftermath of last winter’s Ashes defeat.
“Cricket supporters, like myself, will wonder why McCullum and Key made so many bad decisions on the tour to Australia, yet the chief executive of English cricket decided there was no need to change anything. Where is the accountability?” Boycott wrote in the Telegraph.
“I think they promised they would be better but Leopards are not going to change their position so it looks like we are going to get the same kind of Test cricket.
“In trying to create a free-spirited team, he has made them too comfortable and complacent. They know that no matter how they perform or behave on and off the field, they won’t be let down.”
“It’s like a men’s club where once you’re in the team it’s hard to break out… Competition for positions is the lifeblood of the sport. Complacency within the team does not create a good desire to excel.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan added on the BBC’s Test Match feature: “I think they (Key and McCullum) are very lucky (to keep their jobs). There aren’t many management teams that get the chance to deliver such poor quality away from home in an Ashes series and keep going.”
England head coaches Brendon McCullum (left) and Ben Stokes will both retain their roles despite losing the Ashes
“To me, they look like a football management team. In fact, it felt like if one person left, everyone left. They’ve had some exciting times, but they haven’t won enough.”
“What England fans want now is what changes will happen.”
Ashes review ‘will anger fans’
Sky Sports News reporter James Cole:
“Action points for the Ashes review were presented to the media at the Rose in the form of a slideshow presentation. It was very corporate. All the right noises were made and keywords were highlighted: ‘learning’, ‘evolution’, ‘culture’ were heavily featured.
“However, there was little new information, and it is clear that all of the proposed improvements regarding ‘readiness’, ‘performance’ and ‘environment’ should have been implemented long before the Ashes fiasco.”
“The fact that no one has paid the price for a disastrous winter with their jobs will anger many cricket fans. Rob Key claims there is no drinking culture and that the team environment is calculable and less cliquey, but that is the wider perception.”
“Key admitted that the demands for consistency in selection were too high and as a result he was unable to cope with poor form. Tough selection decisions will be needed this summer. A smarter approach to batting will be needed. And above all, England must start winning again.”
“The buzz ball is broken. McCullum and Stokes will have to rewrite their strategy. Series wins against New Zealand and Pakistan will go a long way in restoring fan confidence. But you will feel the team’s approach, especially when batting in pressure situations, will be key.”
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