Brendon McCulum and Rob Key set to retain support of ECB

The tour of Australia was blighted by mistakes on and off the field.

England were accused of a lack of adequate preparation, playing only one warm-up match against England Lions at a club ground in Perth before the first Test.

Despite the Brook incident, which took place on the eve of the third one-day international against New Zealand in Wellington prior to the Ashes series, England’s alcohol consumption in Australia came under scrutiny. Opener Ben Duckett was captured on video by a member of the public, apparently drunk during a mid-series holiday in Noosa.

Without a specialist fielding coach, England’s efforts in the Test series were severely hampered by dropped catches.

Since the tour of Australia, England have employed fielding coach Carl Hopkinson for part of the World Cup and their white-ball tour of Sri Lanka. They have also imposed a midnight curfew on players and staff.

Luke Wright has left his post as national selector of the men’s teams, though that was a personal decision rather than linked to the Ashes.

Talks between the ECB and Cricket Australia have resulted in the prospect of the two boards agreeing on improved arrangements for preparation for future Ashes series in both countries.

And the ECB plans to make a new non-executive appointment to its board in order to boost cricketing expertise.

In Australia, Test captain Ben Stokes threw his support behind McCullum, who is contracted until the autumn of 2027.

That support was echoed by Brook on Thursday, who said McCullum should “125%” remain in charge.

“I’ve said plenty of times he’s the best coach I’ve ever had,” said Brook. “Our partnership has been good throughout the competition and since I’ve taken over. Long may it continue.”