Key urges England not to be 'stupid' in Australia

England's players have been urged "to be smart and not get caught doing stupid things" on the Ashes tour by managing director Rob Key.

Trips to Australia are notoriously hostile for visiting England teams, often accompanied by intense scrutiny.

In 2017-18, England's Jonny Bairstow was accused of "headbutting" Australia batter Cameron Bancroft in a bar in Perth, the same venue where Ben Duckett, then of the England Lions, poured a drink over James Anderson.

Four years earlier, England were ridiculed in the Australian media for an 82-page document that detailed their dietary requirements.

Former England batter Key, who was part of the Ashes tour in 2002-03, said: "They've got to be smart, right? I hope they're all listening to this, players, because it saves me sending a WhatsApp or an email and telling them 'you've got to be smart' - because when they get there, they're not going to be anonymous."

Speaking on the For The Love Of Cricket podcast, Key added: "I remember in 2002 Nasser Hussain doing the first press conference saying 'we've got to catch all our catches, we can't afford to be having to make 15, 20 opportunities an innings', which is absolutely right.

"The next day at practice, the West Australian newspaper had pictures of John Crawley dropping a catch."

This Ashes series is one of the most eagerly anticipated for years, coming 18 months after England and Australia drew a memorable series 2-2 in the UK.

England's bid to win the Ashes for the first time since 2015, and triumph in Australia for the first time in 14 years, begins on 21 November.

England named their Ashes squad last week, with Will Jacks' inclusion as the second spinner the only surprise.

On Tuesday, England named a Lions squad that will shadow the senior group in Australia. Rehan Ahmed, Jordan Cox and Sonny Baker have all been included.

Ex-Kent captain Key, who played 15 Tests for England, added: "Our players need to be smart and not get caught doing stupid things and just be aware that this is going to potentially be one of the best series of all time.

"It's going to be compelling viewing and with that comes an interest that is great for the game."

In naming their Ashes squad, England promoted Harry Brook to vice-captain, replacing Ollie Pope. At the time, Key said the decision was down to Brook being the "better leader".

Losing the vice-captaincy appeared to make Pope more vulnerable to losing his spot in the team to Jacob Bethell, but Key has reiterated that Pope is "in possession" of the number three position.

"There's a lot made about Bethell and Pope, that's going to be the story," said Key.

"At the moment Pope is the one that's in possession of that. There's a bit of cricket for Bethell to come. And we don't make these decisions until right before because there's no point worrying and thinking about something until you have to."

Left-hander Bethell, 21, will have the opportunity to push his claim for a place in the Test side on the white-ball tour of New Zealand, a trip Pope is not part of.

Key described Bethell as a "generational talent" but said no decision on the England XI will be made until nearer the first Test. He pointed to the 2024 tour of India, when England were preparing to leave out Bairstow in favour of Harry Brook, only for Brook to miss the entire series to be with his ill grandmother, who later passed away.

"We did that before and we made a mistake," said Key. "When it was Jonny or Brook for India, you spend all this time months before going 'OK, let's do it'.

"Then all of a sudden, it was horrendous for Harry Brook and he had personal issues why he had to leave, but why did we worry about all of that decision-making until we had to?"

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