The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday decided to make no changes to its leadership group following England's 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia following a review of the tour.“The easy thing would be to fire people,” Gould said, but he stressed, “This is not the time to throw everything out.”Managing director Rob Key, head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes will continue in their roles. England, described as having their strongest team on tour to Australia in 14 years, lost the Ashes in 11 days, with two Tests still left to be played.
“It may sometimes be easier said than done to move people forward. That's not the path we're going to take,” Gould was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. “I have seen the inspiring ambition and determination that we are so fortunate to have in our leadership group to learn the lessons from the Ashes and move forward.”Gould, who previously served as chief executive of Bristol City Football Club, said cricket operates differently from football and does not follow a hire-and-fire approach.He said, “Cricket is a very unique game that requires a team of leadership… It is not like football where the manager has a single point of failure or success.” He said the ECB “will not select or deselect management on the basis of a popularity campaign.”The review identified issues relating to preparation, player behavior and selection decisions during the tour.At a press conference at Lord's, Gould and Key said there was no disagreement between McCullum and Stokes. He said McCullum was not expected to “completely change” but to “evolve”, while acknowledging that the behavior of some players was “unprofessional”. He also pointed to tougher consequences for poor performances and a focus on “better long-term planning” ahead of key Test series.Some adjustments were already made during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, where England reached the semi-finals. Gould suggested that the performance played a role in McCullum retaining his position.Key acknowledged that supporters may have expected tougher action.“I know people want punishment and people should be fired for this,” Key said. “That doesn't mean we don't feel like we've been through some serious pain: Brendan, me, Ben. It's been as tough a time as I think I've been.”
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