Mass clearout of England leadership not in ECB plans after Ashes failure
The England and Wales Cricket Board is eager to avoid a mass clearout of England’s senior leadership in the wake of another humiliating away Ashes series defeat,England’s hopes of winning the urn were expunged inside 11 days for just the fourth time in the contest’s 143-year history with Sunday’s 82-run defeat in Adelaide, and a fourth Ashes whitewash is on the cards in Melbourne and Sydney, unless the tourists can arrest a dismal 18-match run without a win in Australia that stretches back to 2011,A full review of the tour’s planning and execution will take place following the final Test next month when jobs could be on the line, with Brendon McCullum’s position as head coach expected to come under the most scrutiny,The Guardian has been told that the ECB do not want to repeat the mass cull that followed their 4-0 defeat in Australia four years ago, however, when coach Chris Silverwood and director of cricket Ashley Giles were sacked the following month, with Joe Root resigning as captain following another series defeat in the West Indies two months later,While changes could still be made depending on the outcome of the rest of the tour, the ECB believes that mass sackings would be a mistake and leave England less well-placed to learn the lessons of the tour.
Rather than appointing a completely new leadership team, there is a desire at Lord’s to retain what one source described as some “institutional muscle memory” of an Ashes tour, which, given England’s dismal record of one series win since 1987, is in danger of appearing an insurmountable challenge.McCullum is likely to be under the most scrutiny, as he is the architect of the ultra-positive Bazball approach that has been found wanting in Australian conditions, and he admitted following the defeat in Adelaide that their long-term planning for the tour had been inadequate.For the first time McCullum conceded that a white ball tour of New Zealand and a single intra-squad warm-up match at Lilac Hill in Perth was insufficient preparation for the first Test, while he repeated his claim following the second Test that England trained too hard before the defeat in Brisbane.McCullum’s position is complicated by the fact that in January he took on a dual role as England’s white-ball coach, with his contract running until the home Ashes series in 2027 and 50 over World Cup in South Africa the following autumn.While England’s white-ball record under McCullum is poor, with his side knocked out of the Champions Trophy without winning a game in February and losing a home one-day international series to South Africa in September, the fact that the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka begins on 7 February could earn him a reprieve.
Stokes said in the immediate aftermath of the Adelaide defeat that he “absolutely” wants to stay on as Test captain after the Ashes, which is likely to come as a relief to the ECB, who will certainly be desperate to retain his services as a player for as long as possible.The 34-year-old signed a new two-year central contract before the Ashes which will expire at the end of the 2027 World Cup.Rob Key’s position as director of cricket will also be the subject of internal discussion given he appointed McCullum and wholeheartedly backed his attacking approach, as well as also giving him the white-ball job at the end of last year, which has not worked out.The former Kent and England batsman had been behind the decision to split the Test and white-ball roles when he replaced Giles following the last Ashes tour, initially appointing Australian Matthew Mott as the limited-overs coach before sacking him last summer following poor performances in 50 over and T20 World Cups in 2023 and 2024.Key’s own decision-making is likely to be scrutinised as a result, including his seemingly dismissive approach to the County Championship, which has left many including players including Jamie Smith and Jacob Bethell short of red-ball practice coming into the Ashes.
A fresh take on wine pairings for Christmas dessert
It may well be that you already have a drink that you traditionally like to sip on after dinner (or lunch), and who am I to tell you that needs to change? Even so, I have a few ideas for drinks you might like to try instead.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.Let’s start with the classics
How to eat, drink and be merry – while pregnant – at Christmas
For a festival with childbirth at its religious heart, it is perverse how much of our traditional Christmas spread isn’t recommended for pregnant women. Pre-pregnancy, this was not something I’d clocked. I was the soft cheese supremo, canape queen – at my happiest with a smoked trout blini in one hand and a champagne flute in the other. Then one day in October, two blue lines appeared on a test result and everything started to change: my body, my future and most pressingly my Christmas.The Guardian’s journalism is independent
Jeremy Lee’s recipe for almond, chocolate and prune tart
A recipe box was rifled through, but, alas, much like shopping for a present last minute, nothing leapt to the fore. Out of the corner of an eye I spied an old folder of pudding menus, all stained and tattered. A wonder at how this might have escaped notice was soon dispelled – unsurprising, really, given the usual state of my desk and shelves – and the page on which it fell open revealed the scribbles for a midwinter pudding menu. And, just like that, as if the scent rose from the page itself, came a memory of an almond, chocolate, walnut and prune tart being lifted from the oven, all mahogany hued and with a few bubbles bursting from the pieces of chocolate among the prunes peeking out.My appetite for almond tart has never waned; be it in a restaurant kitchen or at home, an almond tart is nigh-on inevitable
Creme brulee and chocolate bundt cake: Nicola Lamb’s Christmas crowdpleasers – recipes
Even though our to-do lists are longer and our homes busier than ever, there’s something about Christmas that gives us the extra chutzpah to bake. And not just any baking, but baking for a crowd. So, with this in mind, here are two crowdpleasing recipes – a rich hazelnut “Nutcracker” creme brulee and a resplendent chocolate fondant bundt cake – with a few make-ahead and shortcut secrets to give you a head start.Serve this rich, decadent dessert warm from the oven in the centre of the table, piled with ice-cream (and perhaps pouring cream, too – why not? It’s Christmas!). The batter can be made and kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours, then baked from chilled; add an extra 10 minutes to the cooking time if you do so, though
How to turn excess yoghurt into a silky-smooth dessert – recipe | Waste not
A delicious, gelatine-free panna cotta that saves yoghurt from the waste binI was really shocked to learn from environmental action NGO Wrap that, of the 51,000 tonnes of yoghurt that’s wasted in the UK every year, half of it is in unopened pots! The reason is our old arch enemy, date labels, which can cause confusion and trick us into thinking that perfectly safe yoghurt is not OK to eat. That’s one reason many supermarkets have scrapped use-by dates on the likes of yoghurt, but they still use best-before dates. Remember, if a product doesn’t have a use-by date, always do the sniff test before throwing it away.Today’s recipe is a light, gelatine-free version of panna cotta that’s instead set with agar agar (a type of seaweed), which gives it a soft-set texture. It’s refreshing, deliciously sour and simple to make
Benjamina Ebuehi’s pistachio and cherry meringue cake recipe | The sweet spot
I’m switching up my usual Christmas pavlova this year for a slightly different but equally delicious meringue-based dessert. Discs of pistachio meringue are baked until crisp, then layered with pistachio cream and cherry compote. The meringue softens a little under the cream as it sits, giving it a pleasingly chewy, cake-like texture. A very good option if you’re after a Christmas dessert without chocolate, alcohol or dried fruit.Thanks to the viral Dubai chocolate bar, pistachio creme is quite easy to come by in most supermarkets these days; it’s already sweetened and brings a lovely, soft green colour
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