Former captain Michael Vaughan says England coach Brendon McCullum and Rob Key should resign as part of a “complete clearout” following the retirement of Ben Stokes.
Captain Stokes, McCullum and director of men’s cricket Key had all been retained in their roles by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Richard Gould after last winter’s Ashes defeat.
The 35-year-old Stokes, who ruled out reversing his retirement, suffered a series defeat by New Zealand in his final game of international cricket on Monday, having announced his shock decision on Sunday.
“Enough is enough. With Ben Stokes walking off into the sunset and results getting worse and worse, now is the time for a complete clearout, with the coach Brendon McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key going too,” Vaughan told the Telegraph., external
“Results like this do not come along often, and when you put it on the back of the Ashes winter, which was so poorly planned, and the failure to beat India last summer, you know something major has to give.
“I take no pleasure in doing this. I don’t like calling for heads. At the end of the Ashes I tried very hard not to. But I can’t cope with watching English cricket be so wasteful any more.
“There is so much skill and talent in the England changing room but it is not being harnessed at all. If all we have is to just keep going harder, and it’s been exposed again, on the back of chaos off the field, which has been happening too regularly, then it is time for change.”
Vaughan suggested Stokes could return to the fold if there is change at the top.
