England coach Brendon McCullum will keep his job after the Ashes debacle, with cricket chief Richard Gould saying he has the capacity to “adapt and evolve”.
Ben Stokes’s men were beaten 4-1 on their five-Test tour of Australia that began in November and ended in January.
And their terrible performances were accompanied by reports of excessive drinking among players during a break, sparking concerns over the dressing-room culture.
Subsequent revelations that vice-captain Harry Brook had been embroiled in a tussle with a nightclub bouncer during the pre-Ashes tour to New Zealand added insult to injury.
But Stokes, McCullum and England managing director Rob Key will all retain their positions after receiving a clean bill of health from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following an examination into the Ashes campaign.
McCullum, who took charge in 2022, has overseen England’s all-out attack ‘Bazball’ brand of red-ball cricket.
But his approach has not delivered a series win over India or Australia — England’s chief rivals.
“There was a lot of thinking about what is the right mix of leadership and who do we want and who do we need?” ECB chief exec Richard Gould at a briefing at Lord’s.
“There is a world of players and people around them who are different to what they’ve experienced, ways of doing things which are not how they did it as players or support staff.
And so, you know we’ve got a lot of people who were injured from what happened over the Ashes but just as equally determined that now is the time to put things right and can’t wait to get some revenge in 2027 (the next time Australia tours England).