All posts tagged: Richard Gould

Former England captains Atherton, Hussain & Boycott blast ECB over lack of Ashes accountability

Former England captains Atherton, Hussain & Boycott blast ECB over lack of Ashes accountability

Published by Webster

3 min readMar 25, 2026 11:47 PM IST The England Cricket Board (ECB) continues to find itself at the receiving end of criticism after handing a clean chit to head coach Brendon McCullum, following a disastrous Ashes series in which England lost 4–1 in emphatic fashion during the five-match Test tour of Australia last summer. ECB chief executive Richard Gould recently confirmed that the positions of captain Ben Stokes, managing director Rob Key, and McCullum are safe following a thorough review conducted by the board. Former England captain Michael Atherton expressed surprise at the decision. He believes fans will find it “extraordinary” that no jobs were lost for the “mistakes” made during the Ashes defeat. “From the perspective of people out there, they will find it extraordinary that there’s been no accountability for the mistakes made in the Ashes,” Atherton said while speaking to Key on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast. “It’s not necessarily bloodlust people want, but I think they want genuine accountability. If there’s no change to key personnel, they will argue, ‘Well, …

‘Leopards don’t change their spots’: Geoffrey Boycott slams ECB over ‘worst Ashes tour’, warns England on sticking with Brendon McCullum | Cricket News

‘Leopards don’t change their spots’: Geoffrey Boycott slams ECB over ‘worst Ashes tour’, warns England on sticking with Brendon McCullum | Cricket News

Published by Webster

4 min readMar 24, 2026 12:21 PM IST Former England captain and legendary batter Geoffrey Boycott has slammed the ECB chief executive Richard Gould and managing director Rob Key for the review into England’s Ashes defeat earlier in the summer. The 85-year-old questioned the process behind concluding that head coach Brendon McCullum would continue in his role, adding that Gould and Key would not win too many supporters to keep the former New Zealand captain in the job. “The worst pre-planned Ashes tour in my lifetime, and nobody is held to account or to blame? In the famous words of John McEnroe: “You cannot be serious.” 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 …