Melbourne, Dec 23 (NationPress) Rob Key, managing director of the England cricket team, has acknowledged that the current framework has not performed adequately during crucial moments. He highlighted that England has not secured victory in any of their most recent four five-Test series against Australia or India.

Australia successfully retained the Ashes with a commanding 82-run win over England in the third Test held in Adelaide on Sunday. With the Ashes now out of reach, England is tasked with minimizing the fallout, beginning with the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

“It’s evident that we’ve faltered during significant occasions. Be it the home Ashes series or last summer’s series against India, where we should have triumphed, we have missed out on the critical matches,” Key stated to reporters at the MCG on Tuesday.

“The reality is we haven’t performed well enough for an extended period. There have been some remarkable moments along the way, and I still believe there’s ample potential in the team, but we need to progress. We must ensure we are enhancing our approach. Losing is acceptable, but the regret comes from not showcasing our best performance.

“That’s my perspective, but as you know, many factors are often beyond our control. The decision for the ECB now is whether they want to completely overhaul the system or if they prefer to evolve while assessing if we are the right fit for that,” he expressed.

Following England's 4-0 defeat four years ago, this marks the first away series loss during the Bazball era, which started with the appointments of Brendon McCullum as head coach and Ben Stokes as captain in 2022.

Despite the ongoing scrutiny, Key continues to support McCullum, whom he appointed as Test coach in 2022 before expanding his role to encompass all formats earlier this year.

McCullum has already indicated a desire to continue in his position, and Key firmly believes he is the ideal candidate for the job.

“Brendon has been an exceptional coach and continues to be one. We’re at a juncture where dressing rooms can fracture, and players may lose faith in those around them, but I don’t see that happening here.

“We’ve had three matches where the players are gradually adapting, and I don’t personally believe that this is due to needing a new voice or that they aren’t receptive. Sometimes, the opposing team is just remarkably good,” he added.