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Vaughan, Cook, Lloyd and Tuffers joined by Rob Key
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England MD talks McCullum hiring and Stoke's captaincy
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Reveals Ahmed is still an option for Ashes in Australia
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Betfair Predicts is your guide to winter Ashes predictions
Betfair and The Overlap proudly present Stick to Cricket, a captivating show featuring renowned England cricket legends Michael Vaughan, Sir Alastair Cook, David 'Bumble' Lloyd, and Phil 'Tuffers' Tufnell.
Each episode offers insights and discussions, with special guests joining the cricket icons to discuss the sport's hottest topics.
In episode 15, Managing Director of England cricket team and ex-England batsmen Rob Key joins the panel to discuss the 2025 Ashes series in Australia.
Watch the episode and read a selection of Rob's quotes below.
Key: We hired McCullum because of how he spoke, not what he said
It wasn't necessarily what he said, it was the way he said things [that made us hire Brendon McCullum as England head coach] - he had so much conviction without shouting. I remember at one stage saying to him: "Alright - how should Test cricket be played?"
He said: "You need batters who can put bowlers under pressure and soak up pressure when required, bowlers who take wickets and chase every ball hard to the boundary."
It was so simple, so clear and it was something I thought as a player that made sense.
How you do it is a lot tougher. Everyone thought I had him for the white ball job because he was more renowned for that. But it's just his love of Test cricket that was the thing.
Stokes has impact on a game before he even walks out
Ben Stokes has evolved as a captain. He went away from the style that he was playing and actually during some of The Ashes at times he was probably one of the more reserved, until he exploded - so he could play the situation as well as anyone.
He's just getting better and better at that - we have analytics and it's all about how you impact a game, so when you look at players someone like Ben Stokes impacts a game before he even walks out.
Ahmed still an option for The Ashes
We've got a Lions trip which shadows the Ashes, so Rehan (Ahmed) will be on the Lions trip.
We've done loads of stuff on pitches, and it looks like it's going to seam a bit more. Rehan is a brilliant bowler, and it feels like he's been around for longer, but he's only 21 - so for him to go in as just one spinner, we feel that's probably too much of a risk.
Someone like Will Jacks, along with Joe Root, in conditions where it's not necessarily going to suit the spinners [may be enough]. But in conditions where you think it can spin, then you've got the option to get someone like Rehan Ahmed there.
The Ashes squad David Lloyd and Michael Vaughan would have chosen
Zak Crawley
Ben Duckett
Ollie Pope
Jacob Bethell
Joe Root
Harry Brook
Ben Stokes
Jamie Smith
Gus Atkinson
Brydon Carse
Mark Wood
Jofra Archer
Josh Tongue
Rehan Ahmed
Shoaib Bashir