‘Enough’s enough’: Former England captain calls for Brendon McCullum to resign after Ben Stokes retires

England’s Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum watch from the dressing room balcony (Getty Images) Former England captain Michael Vaughan has launched a scathing attack on the England management, calling for head coach Brendon McCullum and chief cricket officer Rob Key to step down after Ben Stokes brought the curtain down on his international career.Stokes, 35, announced his retirement from international cricket and stepped down as England captain after a crushing 160-run defeat by New Zealand in the third Test at Trent Bridge on Sunday. The result sealed a 2-1 series defeat and extended England’s disappointing run in the longest format.England have now managed just two wins from their last 10 Test matches, a sequence that includes defeats to Australia and New Zealand, along with a home series draw against India.In response to the team’s recent performances, Vaughan said he had reached a point where he could no longer accept England’s standards.“When I saw it on the fourth night last week, I said ‘no, we can’t accept that’ as ex-players in the game,” Vaughan said on the Stick to Cricket podcast.“And it was that period that I watched and I thought ‘well, enough is enough’. English cricket has got to be better than this.”Vaughan believes the time has come for radical change at the top and questions whether McCullum is the right man to lead England forward despite his popularity.“I think Baz McCullum is a great guy but he’s not a great coach and for England, as ex-players and fans of England cricket, we should be aiming to be the number one team in the world and we’re seventh at the moment.“We won two games in 10 games and those two wins came at Lord’s on the cesspool and the MCG, which was a two-dayer, so the only two games we won were on farm fields.“That can’t be true.The former captain said England supporters deserved much more and insisted the team’s current trajectory was unacceptable.“I want a change. I’ve seen enough. I care passionately about England cricket and I hate watching it and you can’t tell me those 20,000 don’t think the same,” Vaughan said.“When the opposition laughs at you in your own backyard, that’s enough. We have to move on.”Vaughan also questioned the future of Rob Key, who has overseen England cricket operations since he replaced Ashley Giles as chief executive in 2022. Key appointed McCullum as Test coach later that year before expanding his duties across all three international formats in September 2024.According to Vaughan, England’s struggles have not been limited to Test cricket, with the white-ball team’s performances also declining under the current structure.“I’m so frustrated when I see it, it’s laughable,” Vaughan said. “You have to say that Rob Key’s job is on the line. He has to be on the line. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rob Key left.”“They’re not well coached. You’re telling me if Andy Flower was in charge… this team would have the results they have? Not a chance.”With Stokes’ retirement ending one of England’s most influential eras, Vaughan believes the team must now use this moment to regain their leadership and direction after a long period of disappointing results.