England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould has defended the decision to retain Brendon McCullum as England Test coach despite the team's 4-1 Test defeat in Australia.
Gould, speaking alongside director of cricket Rob Key at Lord's on Monday, said sacking McCullum would have been the "easy thing to do".
According to Gould, the ECB has chosen not to change personnel, with McCullum, Key, and Test captain Ben Stokes set to remain in their posts.
Review of the Ashes Tour
A review of the Ashes tour found that the behaviour of some players was "unprofessional" and that there will be "new expectations" for player behaviour.
Gould stated that only 30-40% of the review presented new information, suggesting that England have not moved on from past failures.
Response to Criticism
Key and Gould addressed criticism of England's approach, with Key saying that the team still wants players to be aggressive and score runs against the best bowlers in the world.
McCullum had previously said he makes "no apologies" for running an "informal" operation, but Key said he does not want the coach to lose his "authenticity".
Investigation and Disciplinary Action
Players Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, and Josh Tongue are under investigation from the Cricket Regulator over an incident in Wellington during the white-ball tour of New Zealand.
Brook was punched by a nightclub bouncer and was given a final warning and fined £55,000.
Future Plans
The ECB has identified the need for a "four-year Ashes planning cycle" and has already held talks with Cricket Australia about reciprocal arrangements regarding preparation.
England have also introduced a midnight curfew and are recruiting a new national selector and a new member of the board to boost cricketing expertise.
