The ECB will not be rushed into making any big decisions in the wake of England’s Ashes defeat in Australia, with head coach Brendon McCullum’s job seemingly safe, at least in the short term, because the T20 World Cup is only weeks away.
Chief executive Richard Gould is flying into Sydney, where he will join chairman Richard Thompson as the English game’s two main power brokers continue to examine exactly how the Ashes were lost in 11 days, before the consolation win at Melbourne. The fifth Test starts at the SCG on Saturday night (UK time).
Both men are acutely aware of the anger among England fans after a tour that many believed represented their best chance in 15 years of winning a series down under, but it is understood they are reluctant to repeat the four-year cycle of sweeping change that seems to follow every trip to Australia.
McCullum, who became England’s all-format coach a year ago, has an expensive ECB contract running until the end of 2027, and the board are keen to avoid a knee-jerk decision about the future of a coach who, before this series, had presided over 25 Test wins and only 14 defeats.
Change now would also disrupt preparations for the World Cup, with England’s first game against Nepal in Mumbai taking place on February 8.
Even so, there is an acknowledgment in ECB circles that the Test team have faltered when it matters most, with a quartet of five-match series against Australia and India yielding nothing better than two draws and two defeats.
The ECB won’t be rushed into making big decisions in the wake of England’s Ashes defeat in Australia, with head coach Brendon McCullum’s job seemingly safe, at least in the short term
The post-series shake-up will focus not only on whether McCullum is the best man for the job once England’s Test programme resumes against New Zealand at Lord’s in June, but also whether he has been best-served by his backroom staff, who have dwindled in number since he took over in 2022 but risk creating an echo chamber in the dressing-room, with dissenting voices almost non-existent.
One possibility is that McCullum will be allowed to see out his contract, which will take in the 2027 home Ashes, but with stronger support encompassing a greater diversity of views.
The ECB will also look into the team’s preparation for the first Test at Perth, which ended inside two days after England were bowled out for 172 and 164.
Talks are underway with Cricket Australia to ensure both teams receive an adequate warm-up before each Ashes series, starting with Australia’s visit to the UK next year.
The precise nature of the agreement is yet to ironed out, but it could involve two four-day matches against serious opposition at venues of the touring side’s choice.
The ECB are privately unhappy that CA have been briefing about attempts to allow England a proper four-day match before this series, with England insisting that the long-planned white-ball trip to New Zealand made that impractical.
