Brendon McCullum’s sacking as England Test coach came after a woeful Ashes tour of Australia, according to former England captain Michael Atherton. However, McCullum will remain in charge of the white-ball team, but England are now looking for both a new Test coach and captain before next month’s series with Pakistan after Ben Stokes announced his international retirement during the recent series-losing clash against New Zealand at Trent Bridge as well.

While England’s ‘Bazball’ era under Brendon McCullum and Stokes started with many wins four years ago, a 4-1 Ashes series loss in Australia in January and the subsequent defeat to New Zealand, alongside off-field drinking incidents, created doubt over his methods.

“The Test team has been struggling for some time,” Atherton told Sky Sports News. “They have lost seven of their last nine, they are languishing somewhere towards the bottom of the World Test Championship. This is really a long hangover from the Ashes. They sold themselves short there –- there has obviously been continuing problems since then, with the loss to New Zealand and the off-field stories. Something had to give.”

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Atherton also added: “Because the Ashes went so badly, it left them (the England hierarchy) with very little wriggle room if things went wrong after that –- and things went wrong against New Zealand.”

Nasser Hussain, another former England captain, asked for the return of Andy Flower as Test coach, with the Zimbabwean guiding England to three Ashes series wins between 2009 and ’14 and taking the side to No 1 in the world as well.

“I love Flower’s approach to coaching –- he was meticulous in everything that he did,” said Hussain. “That is what has been lacking in this England Test match side. I would do anything if I was (managing director) Rob Key and the ECB to go and get Andy Flower.”

Meanwhile, Michael Vaughan, England’s 2005 Ashes-winning captain, said a lot of change was required within the red-ball set-up.

“Enough is enough, we need to move on,” he told the Stick to Cricket podcast. “There is no way in a million years that this management group is maximising… and I hate using the word talent now because talent only takes you so far, and we keep saying there are a talented group of players – well, they keep losing.”