England’s Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum watch from the dressing room balcony (Getty Images)

Former England captain michael vaughn Has launched a scathing attack on England’s leadership while demanding a head coach Brendon McCullum And Managing Director of Cricket Rob Key will have to step down after this ben stokes The curtain came down on his international career.Stokes, 35, announced his retirement from international cricket and stepped down from captaincy of England after the team’s crushing 160-run defeat to New Zealand in the third Test at Trent Bridge on Sunday. The result sealed a 2–1 series defeat and extended England’s disappointing performance in the longest format.England have now managed only two wins from their last 10 Test matches, a sequence that includes losses to Australia and New Zealand as well as a home series draw against India.Responding to the team’s recent performances, Vaughan said that he has reached a point where he cannot accept England’s standards.“When I saw it on the fourth evening last week, I was like, ‘No, we can’t accept this’ as former players of the game,” Vaughan said on the Stick to Cricket podcast.“And it was that period that I looked at and I said ‘No, enough is enough’. English cricket has got to be better than this.”Vaughan believes the time has come for sweeping change at the top, questioning whether McCullum is the right man to take England forward despite his popularity.“I think Baz McCullum is a great person but he is not a great coach and for England, as former players and fans of English cricket, we should be aiming to be the number one team in the world and at the moment we are seventh.“We have won two games out of 10 matches, and those two wins came at the cesspit at Lord’s and at the MCG, which was a two-dayer, so the only two games we have won have been at the Farmers Ground.“This can’t be right.”The former captain said England supporters deserved much better and insisted the current state of the team was unacceptable.Vaughan said, “I want change. I’ve seen a lot. I care a lot about English cricket and I hate watching it and you can’t tell me that 20,000 people aren’t thinking the same thing.”“Enough when the opposition is laughing at you in your own backyard. We need to move forward.”Vaughan also raised questions over the future of Rob Key, who has been overseeing England’s cricket operations since replacing him ashley giles As Managing Director in 2022. Key appointed McCullum as Test coach later that year before expanding his responsibilities across all three international formats in September 2024.According to Vaughan, England’s struggles are not limited to Test cricket only, with the team’s white-ball performance also declining under the current structure.“I’m very disappointed to see this, it’s ridiculous,” Vaughn said. “You have to say that Rob Key’s job is at risk. He’s got to be on the hook. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rob Key goes.“They’re not being coached well. You’re telling me that if Andy Flowers had been in charge… this team would have got the same results they’re getting? Not a chance.”With Stokes’ retirement bringing an end to one of England’s most impressive eras, Vaughan believes the team must now use this moment to reset its leadership and direction after a long period of disappointing results.