HAMPSHIRE chairman Rod Bransgrove insists England's management team must shoulder the blame for the pathetic performances in the current Ashes series.

The Rose Bowl chief is adamant that skipper Nasser Hussain should not be left to face the flak after England's hopes of winning the Ashes were decimated by losing the opening three Tests.

And Bransgrove is now in a key position to make his feelings known in the corridors of power.

As reported in the later editions of yesterday's Daily Echo, he has been voted onto the ECB management committee.

"I will certainly be asking some pretty difficult questions," Bransgrove said when asked what role he will have on the board.

"The Ashes series has been hugely disappointing. We have been absolutely mullered by not only the best Test team in the world, but one of the best Test teams in history, and I can accept that.

"There have been the usual kneejerk reaction from various people blaming too much county cricket and the fact that youngsters don't play cricket in school any more.

"But I believe questions should be asked of the England management."

Bransgrove refuted England coach Duncan Fletcher's claim that his top players are weary due to the amount of cricket they play for their counties.

"The top players hardly play any county cricket at all these days," he said. "If he thinks that's a problem, what's the point of having the top players centrally contracted?

"Australian players don't seem to have problems scoring lots of runs in their own country, and lots of runs when they play in England."

And the chairman asked: "Why did a few players travel when they weren't fit? You can't blame Flintoff for not being fit - you have to ask questions of the England management as to why he was taken in the first place.

"The end result is a shellshocked and despondent group of players, and it's difficult to see where we go from here."

Bransgrove would have liked to have seen Surrey skipper Adam Hollioake selected as skipper for England's one-day games in Australia, and the World Cup in South Africa next year.

"He's done it before and he's done it well," said Bransgrove. "I do believe you need a change of captain for a different tournament, if for no other reason than to give Hussain a break and the chance to see his wife and new baby.

"I would always have a different Test and one-day captain, as Test match captaincy is so mentally tiring these days - especially when you're playing a side as good as Australia. Those guys are quick to spot a weakness in a player's game and they are remorseless in attacking it."

Bransgrove added: "Of course there have been mistakes on the field. Everybody makes mistakes - it was a misake to field first in the first Test, and there have been run-outs and dropped catches. But we should be able to recover from one or two mistakes.

"We have pretty much caught up with the rest of the world, but there is a chasm between Australia and the rest. Remember, they have recently thrashed Pakistan in Sharjah.

"People say we don't play enough cricket in schools, but at Under-17 and Under-19 level there's hardly any gap between England and Australia.

"It's what we do at finishing school with them after that that worries me, and that's a question which has to be aimed at the management.

"We are just not producing enough players like Hussain, Thorpe and Vaughan."

Former England skipper Ray Illingworth was quoted earlier in the week as saying he thought Hussain might quit in the wake of England's eighth successive Ashes capitulation.

But the Essex man re-iterated his desire to carry on, and Bransgrove believes that's the right decision.

"It's not Hussain's fault what has happened," he said. "It's the management's fault for putting Hussain in the position he's found himself in."