Ashes: England will not have 'rash decisions' about management after defeat

England lost the Third Test against Australia by an innings and 41 runs, their third defeat in the series, to lose the Ashes

England will not have a "knee-jerk reaction" to their Ashes defeat in Australia, says England and Wales Cricket Board chief Tom Harrison.

The tourists have lost the first three Tests to surrender the urn at the earliest possible opportunity.

When asked about the future of coach Trevor Bayliss, Harrison told BBC Sport: "Trevor has done an excellent job.

"I don't think this is the moment for rash decisions."

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Though Bayliss, who was appointed in 2015, began his tenure with a home Ashes win and a Test series success in South Africa, England have since had mixed results.

If last winter's tour of India is included, they are on a run of seven successive away defeats, while their overall record under Bayliss is 17 Tests lost from 35 matches, with only 15 wins.

"Ultimately, we have a plan and we're executing that plan," Harrison added.

"Winning away from home has been tough for this side for a couple of years, but we did win in South Africa two years ago.

"We continue to strive to be better overseas to enable us to get to a point where we can try to get to number one in the world."

Bayliss, 54, has already said he is still the right man to lead England.

Under the Australian, England reached the final of the 2016 World Twenty20 and the semi-finals of this year's Champions Trophy on home soil as they build towards the 2019 World Cup, which will also be held in the UK.

"Trevor has a role across all three formats," said Harrison. "We're now winning 70% or our white-ball games.

"Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and remains the priority for us."

Wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow's 119 runs in the first innings of the third Test was not enough to stop England succumbing to defeat by a dominant Australia

Harrison said the ECB is in a "good place" to make decisions, despite director of cricket Andrew Strauss not being part of the latter stages of the Ashes tour because of a family illness.

England have been without Ben Stokes for their trip to Australia after the all-rounder was arrested for his part in an altercation outside a Bristol nightclub in September.

Although Stokes has been made unavailable to play for England "until further notice", he has had a spell with New Zealand side Canterbury and has now returned to the UK as he awaits the results of a police investigation.

"What happened in Bristol was a shocking moment for the game," Harrison said.

In addition, England's time in Australia has been blighted by off-field issues.

Wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow was accused of headbutting Australia batsman Cameron Bancroft at the beginning of the tour, while England Lions batsman Ben Duckett poured a drink over James Anderson, both in the same Perth bar.

"What we have to understand is how we rebuild reputations, how we rebuild the reputations of the individuals involved, how we rebuild the team's reputation and generate those audiences again," Harrison said.

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Harrison reiterated the ECB was in a "holding position" while it awaits a decision from the Crown Prosecution Service on any potential charge that Stokes may face.

Only when the legal proceedings surrounding Stokes are concluded will any cricketing disciplinary decision be made.

Harrison said that could be "six to 12 months away".

While Stokes is not available for England selection, he is permitted to play domestic cricket, as demonstrated by his time with Canterbury.

If his current situation is unchanged by the English summer, Harrison said his participation in county cricket would be up to his Durham team.

Before then, he could feature in the Indian Premier League, with the auction for the T20 competition due to take place at the end of January.

Last year, Stokes was bought by Rising Pune Supergiant for £1.7m, a record price, and was named as the tournament's most valuable player.

After granting Stokes permission to play in New Zealand, Harrison conceded it would be "difficult" to prevent him from taking part in the IPL.