Stokes and McCullum may have to part to fix England

Change is afoot after embarrassing 4-1 loss on Aussie soil

- CAMERON PONSONBY AT THE SYDNEY CRICKET GROUND

The ends throughout this series have always been good.

Ben Stokes's and Will Jacks's blockathon in Brisbane. The fightback at Adelaide. The run chase at Melbourne. The fire shown in Sydney. England have lost the Ashes 4-1. You can always rely on this team to turn up at some point. It's just that they've never been on time.

Despite reports that Brendon McCullum and Rob Key will be given the chance to turn things around, change is afoot for England. The thought process is that before they change the men, they'll give the men an opportunity to change.

Key, currently, feels like a sideshow in this. He is the least high-profile of the leadership trio, and given that we know Stokes is staying, the microscope falls onto McCullum. A man strong in his convictions, the idea he will want to bend feels unlikely, to the point of impossible. McCullum will be in charge for the upcoming T20 World Cup that starts next month, meaning it is the three-month period between the conclusion of that tournament and the start of England's Test summer when a final decision on his future will be made. McCullum is contracted until the end of 2027 and it is reported that his payout, were he to be removed now, would be in the low seven figures.