See you later mate! England’s stars fly home after disastrous Ashes series

A handful of England’s stars have flown home, this time on Australian soil, after another disastrous Ashes series.

While the likes of cricket legend Stuart Broad and divisive broadcaster Piers Morgan predicted the tourists would lift the jar given the supposed poor quality of the opposition, the reality was very different.

While Australia seized the big moments to comfortably win the series 4-1, they also made a mockery of ‘Basball’.

They also only played captain Pat Cummins in a Test and still dominated.

The likes of Joe Root, Ben Duckett, Josh Tongue, Will Jacks and Matthew Potts were spotted at Sydney International Airport on Friday.

While Root’s future is assured, Duckett appears to have been loaned out at Test level after failing to take any of his six 20-over-caps to over 42.

Ben Duckett is unlikely to look back on the Ashes tour of Australia with great fondness

It was also a tough tour for the likes of Will Jacks (pictured) and Matthew Potts.

Despite England’s confidence ahead of the first Test, Australia seized the big moments to comfortably win the series 4-1

Josh Tongue was impressive at times for England and finished the series with 18 wickets to his name.

Coach Brendon McCullum should also be in the firing line.

England white-ball captain Harry Brook has denied his players had too much to drink, despite revelations that he was involved in a fight outside a New Zealand nightclub in the lead-up to the Ashes in October because the bouncer thought he was drunk.

But if long-suffering England cricket fans think McCullum will walk away, they are wrong.

The under-fire coach recently said: ‘I think whatever you do in life, you have to have some originality.

‘For me, as a coach, you need to have an influence on the running of the environment and be responsible for most of the decisions that are made when there is pressure, as you try to guide, guide and assist the players.

‘So as long as this continues, I’m open to progress, I’m open to evolution.’

Initially, McCullum was a breath of fresh air for England, presiding over 10-plus wins in his first 11 Tests.

But results faded and four series against Australia and India (the yardstick by which England’s Test progress is best measured) resulted in a 2-2 draw at home and two 4-1 defeats away.

McCullum still insists ‘some progress has been made’.

‘You never want to throw away things that work. “You just want to keep cutting some areas that need improvement,” he said.

‘So I’d hate to tear apart the script and try to reinvent a completely different method.’

England will now turn their attention to the T20 World Cup, which starts on February 7.

India and Sri Lanka will co-host the tournament.