McCullum surviving the axe: ECB chief executive Richard Gould insists, ‘that’s not the route we are going to take’

It was a surprising call to all intents and purposes in light of how important it is to win the Ashes for the English team.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Richard Gould has explained why they have decided to retain head coach Brendon McCullum despite an ignominious Ashes defeat earlier this year.

It's been a close call for both Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. (Action Images via Reuters)

McCullum's Bazball has been under fire for some time now. Batting aggressively at all stages of a Test, Bazball is a term given by the English media. Last year, it had backfired at home too against India. That series ended in a 2-2 draw, but with a little bit of luck, the tourists could have won the series in England for the first time in so many years.

Anyway, the Ashes tour was also very controversial, with reports doing the rounds that Test captain Ben Stokes and McCullum were not on the same page. Some of the players were reported to have had too much beer in Noosa, a popular holiday destination, partying when the team was in the doldrums as far as their Ashes campaign was concerned.

But then the ECB surprised with the retention of McCullum. Not just him, but also Stokes and director of cricket Rob Key were retained. And Gould explained the decision at Lord's on Monday. Key was also there with him.

"I've seen the driving ambition and determination that we're lucky enough to have within our leadership group to take the lessons from the Ashes and move forward," said Gould.

"These are all individuals that have got other things that they can do in their lives. They are all committed to doing the best for England and to learning the lessons that are evident."

Gould, son of former Wales and Wimbledon football manager Bobby, has also served as the chief executive of Bristol City Football Club. Of course, he understands how these things should be dealt. The volatility and uncertainty are too much in football compared to cricket.

"My old man was a football manager," he said. "Sacking was part of the job and it wasn't necessarily the right thing. Moving people on can sometimes be the easy thing to do. That's not the route that we're going to take," he added.