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Brendon McCullum has openly acknowledged that England’s preparation for the Ashes was misguided, leading to a swift 3-0 deficit against Australia in just over a week of play.
The series was effectively lost on the final day of the third Test in Adelaide. Despite a spirited effort, England failed to chase down the daunting target of 435, ultimately bowing out for 352.
Reflecting on the situation, the head coach conceded that the scoreline offered little room for alibis. McCullum admitted that, given another chance, he would have adjusted the team’s preparation strategy for the first Test in Perth to better equip them for the challenge.
“Ultimately, you are responsible for how you get your side ready and how you prepare them,” McCullum stated. “We were confident in our preparation methods, not just for the first Test but for the entire series. However, looking back, I question whether we needed more preparation time before the first Test and perhaps less before the second.”
‘Ultimately, you are responsible for how you get your side ready and how you prepare them,’ said McCullum. ‘We had conviction in our methods in terms of preparation, not just leading into the first Test but also in between Tests. I look back now and think, did we need more leading into the first and did we need less leading into the second?
‘They are the changes over time you look back on and say: “Would I do it differently?” We lost 3–0, so you would probably say there was room for change there. Again, you put your hand up as a coach and say you might not have got that right. Sitting here 3–0, it didn’t work.
England’s preparation for Perth had consisted of a white-ball trip to New Zealand, where chilly spring conditions and seam-friendly greentops bore no relation to conditions in Western Australia.
They then took part in a meaningless three-day game against the Lions, England’s second team, at Lilac Hill, and were promptly skittled for 172 and 164 en route to a two-day defeat at Perth Stadium.
England coach Brendon McCullum (pictured) has admitted that his team got their preparations wrong ahead of the Ashes
Despite a gallant fiight back in Adelaide, the tourists have lost the Ashes after going 3-0 down in just 11 days of cricket
McCullum later claimed his team had ‘over-prepared’ before the pink-ball Test at Brisbane by holding five practice sessions. Like the series opener, that game ended in an eight-wicket defeat.
‘We knew coming down here that Australia is a very strong team in their own conditions. We thought we would be competitive, and that we would be able to seize some pressure moments, and we haven’t been able to do it.
‘With the ball, we’ve not quite been relentless enough with our accuracy and challenging on the surface in the areas we need to. With the bat we haven’t scored enough runs, we haven’t quite found the tempo we need to operate at. And in the field we have let opportunities go.
‘We do have a great opportunity in the next two Tests – that’s the message to the boys. We need to find something out of this tour, salvage some pride and play for all the people who have come to Australia to support this team and all the people back in England who have supported this team as well.’