On a quiet autumn afternoon at Lord’s in October, captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum will meet national selector Luke Wright and ECB director Rob Key to pick England’s Ashes squad.
Wright used to be the one who would make the phone calls, delivering the good news and the painful blows, but McCullum has since taken on that responsibility, seeing it as his duty to speak personally with each player. Wright will often follow up with a call to those closest to the cut to explain the decision in more detail and discuss a path for their return.
