England’s Ashes woes in Australia have once again raised searching questions about direction, approach and leadership, but Rob Key is determined to put a stop to speculation over Brendon McCullum’s future. With England trailing 3-0 in the five-match series after the Adelaide defeat, the director of cricket made it clear the ECB’s faith in the head coach remains intact.
Although the results were brutal, Key emphasized that he did not question the failure the wider project England were building under McCullum and Ben Stokes. Instead, he called the Ashes defeat a moment for reflection and adjustment, rather than a reason to abandon course, even as criticism of England’s aggressive style continues to grow.
Speaking to the Sky Sports Cricket podcast and later in the media in Melbourne, Key stressed his belief that McCullum remains the right man to lead England forward, while openly accepting that change is necessary.
“Brendon is an outstanding coach,” Key said. “Do I think he’s the man to do it? If he’s ready for it like I am, he’s the right man. Brendon’s a resilient character. I haven’t seen anything from him to suggest he doesn’t want to.”
“When you get on these tours, when you lose an Ashes series in Australia, half the team don’t like the captain and half the team don’t like the coach – that doesn’t happen on this tour at all. They’ve held the players together remarkably well. But are we going to have to evolve? Absolutely.”
Key was also frank about England’s under-performance in relation to their ability and placed the responsibility firmly on the management team.
“My overwhelming thing, aside from the disappointment, is that I actually feel like we’re a lot better than what we played,” he said. “We didn’t help the players get to their maximum and that’s on us as a set-up.”
England’s problems in Australia are not new. Their losing streak on Australian soil now stretches to 18 Tests, with 16 defeats and just two draws since their last win in 2011. With two matches remaining, the immediate goal is to salvage pride and avoid a 5-0 whitewash.
Key also admitted preparation mistakes, including the decision to tour New Zealand for white-ball cricket ahead of the Ashes, and criticized poor decision-making on the field. However, despite these mistakes, his attitude towards McCullum remains unchanged. For the ECB, the choice is clear: develop a philosophy rather than tear it down, with Key convinced there is still “a lot of life left” in the current English project.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
December 24, 2025
