McCullum and Key not subject to a football ‘popularity campaign’

THE England and Wales Cricket Board have defended their decision to back Brendon McCullum and Rob Key - insisting their futures could not be settled by a football-style “popularity campaign”.

- BY RORY DOLLARD

The governing body promised a “thorough review” in the wake of England’s 4-1 Ashes surrender Down Under, a tour plagued by criticisms of sloppy preparation, excessive drinking and selection mistakes.

And the ECB concluded evolution under McCullum as head coach and Key as managing director is preferable to swinging the axe.

A 4-0 loss in Australia four years earlier saw both predecessors - Chris Silverwood and Ashley Giles - pay with their jobs and there has been a considerable appetite for similar action among sections of the support.

But ECB chief executive Richard Gould (inset) - son of the former Wales and Wimbledon manager Bobby Gould and formerly CEO of Bristol City - insisted football's hire-and-fire culture was not a useful model.