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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Jonathan Liew

English cricket remains a metaphor for the country as travelling circus rolls on

Rob Key (left), England’s managing director, and Brendon McCullum (right), the coach
Rob Key (left), England’s managing director, and Brendon McCullum (right), the coach, will have a hard time moving on from a damning Ashes defeat. Photograph: Robbie Stephenson/PA

There will be consequences. There must be consequences. Perhaps there have already been consequences. Harry Brook is very sorry for getting punched by a bouncer in New Zealand. Rob Key is very sorry for overseeing an Ashes tour that in retrospect could probably have been an email. Brendon McCullum is not sorry, but has promised to “look at things over the next little while”, which is basically the same as an apology, so fine.

In the meantime, the travelling circus of English cricket rolls on. There is a white-ball series in Sri Lanka starting on Thursday morning, for which – consequences, remember – McCullum remains as coach, Key remains as managing director and Brook remains as captain. In addition Zak Crawley returns to open the batting in the 50-over team, a fitting reward for not playing a single 50-over game in the whole of 2024 or 2025. Nature heals.

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