'Most of ECB hierarchy should be sacked': England legend blasts decision to retain Brendon McCullum

Legendary England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott has blasted the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for protecting its top bosses, including Brendon McCullum, after the embarrassing Ashes campaign.

England’s 2025–26 Ashes tour turned into one of their nightmare tours of Australia, where they suffered a humiliating 4–1 loss in the five-match Test series. However, Ben Stokes and his players managed to escape a clean sweep by winning the fourth Test.

Geoffrey Boycott slams ECB's review of Ashes disaster

Well, the bold “Bazball” failed badly down under, with former cricketers and media calling the Ashes series a disaster and embarrassment for the England side, thanks to poor preparations, stubborn tactics, and unnecessary off-field drama on the Australia tour.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

Read Also: 3 SRH players who could struggle in IPL 2026 - ft Liam Livingstone

Following the assessment, Geoffrey Boycott questioned how the review of the England National Cricket Team ended with everyone being saved, especially Director Rob Key and Head Coach Brendon McCullum, despite the team’s miserable performance in the Ashes series in Australia.

The legendary cricketer is also not convinced about the review itself, as it was led by ECB CEO Richard Gould, who comes from an army and football background.

'Leopards don’t change their spots'

Geoffrey Boycott wrote in his column for The Telegraph, “The review was done by Richard Gould, the England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive, who has never played county or Test match cricket, and he decided nobody is to blame. What planet is he on? Is he oblivious to what the majority of former England players and cricket journalists are saying? Gould says it will not be a popular decision to keep Brendon McCullum, and he is damn right.”

He further noted, “I’m sure they promised him they would do better, but leopards don’t change their spots, so it looks like we will get the same type of test cricket. This summer, England will flatter by probably beating New Zealand and definitely beating Pakistan, and our chief executive will preen himself, saying, "What a good job I did keeping Rob and Brendon.”

Read Also: 3 RR players who could struggle in IPL 2026 - ft Jofra Archer

Brendon McCullum blamed for ruining England’s chance in Ashes

Boycott blamed Rob Key and Brendon McCullum for ruining England’s chance to beat Australia on their home ground at a time when Australia was not playing well, and England had a real opportunity to win.

Since Key and McCullum were responsible for picking the team, planning strategies, and preparing the players mentally, Boycott said that their poor decisions cost England a rare chance to win the Ashes Down Under.

Looking ahead to the 2027 Ashes at home, Boycott doesn’t see big improvement under Brendon McCullum and warns that if England fails again, the ECB’s top officials should be sacked. He signed off by saying, “If we play as badly in the next Ashes in England, then most of the ECB hierarchy should get the sack.”

On the other hand, Ben Stokes called being England captain the biggest honor a player can get. He said it comes with highs and lows, moments of joy and frustration, and can take over your life completely. He admitted that the last three months have been the toughest of his captaincy, testing him in many ways, and believes every captain faces similar challenges.