Path of least resistance over McCullum and Key could still lead ECB to a dead end | Ali Martin

Anger remains after Ashes defeat and maybe leaders should have run towards the danger and made a change

Having endorsed Brendon McCullum’s continuation as men’s head coach after an Ashes defeat riddled with self-owns and kept Rob Key above him as team director, the England and Wales Cricket Board could in one sense be viewed as having taken the path of least resistance.

McCullum’s contract runs to the end of 2027 and it would cost a pretty penny to cut him loose. The players enjoy the pair’s methods and tend to call the shots in the modern era. There may not be an all-format candidate for head coach out there. Besides, look over there: the Hundred returns in July, ready to overload your eyeballs with multicoloured content.