Michael Vaughan: Brendon McCullum and Rob Key lucky to avoid sack after ECB review of England’s Ashes

Key, who was also a guest on the TMS program, said that England would change its approach to the election.

There was a perception that the England Test team felt like a ‘closed shop’, especially for county cricketers who did not suit the aggressive Bazball style.

Key said the establishment of a “county insight group” to offer insight into the selection would seek to formally rebuild relationships with stakeholders, including directors of cricket, in the domestic game.

The 46-year-old former Kent captain also said England’s selection policy would become more draconian than in the past, when some players appeared almost indispensable.

“We over-valued loyalty and over-valued an established team,” Key said.

“We thought what we wanted to do was make sure we had a team that was established there. [in Australia]that we’ll go out there and it won’t be the first time we go out in the first innings [during the Ashes] and things like that.

“But this creates an environment where there are not enough consequences. We need to be more ruthless in our choices.”

McCullum will return to work towards the end of May as England prepare for a Test series against his native New Zealand starting at Lord’s on June 4.

But Vaughan thought it would be valuable for McCullum to spend time on the track in the early rounds of the County Championship – for good PR if nothing else.

“I’m a little disappointed it won’t come sooner,” Vaughan said.

“I think at this stage, trying to get the fans back, trying to get some of the game back, if I was Brendon McCullum I would have come in a couple of weeks ago, appeared in the counties.

“I’d go and talk to a few coaches, I’d go and talk to a few referees, I’d go around just for the visuals. Because at this stage he needs the fans and he needs the game to go a little bit further into his philosophy.”

You can watch the full TMS discussion via the Ashes post review at: BBC iPlayer or Download as podcast.