The Ashes 2025 3rd fixture will begin on December 17.
England head coach Brendon McCullum’s comments following the latest Ashes 2025 fixture in Brisbane had raised plenty of eyebrows. After being outclassed in back-to-back Tests, the former New Zealand player felt that the visitors might have “overprepared” for the Australian challenge.
“If anything, we trained too much. We had five to 10 training sessions leading into this game. I think leading into this Test match, I actually felt like we overprepared to be honest,” he had stated to the media.
The head coach has pointed out the intention behind making the claim. McCullum emphasised the impact of a coach’s messages on the players, especially during a tough tour which started off with two consecutive defeats.
“What you’re saying to your dressing room is you’re trying to evaluate where the team’s at, at the end of a Test match. You’re trying to shift it forward so that your confidence levels don’t dip. Because when they do, you have no chance. So, what you say to them and then what you say in the media can be quite different,” added McCullum.
While defining his “overprepared” comment, the 44-year-old referred to the excessive training sessions that Ben Stokes and Co. went through leading up to the pink-ball fixture at the Gabba. He explained how it impacted their on-ground performances and accepted the responsibility.
“What I meant by us being overprepared is we had five intense training sessions. You need to be mentally fresh. You need to be physically fresh. And five intense training sessions on the back of a difficult loss [in Perth], I don’t think necessarily gave us our best chance. And I’m happy to wear that as leader,” said the coach.
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Coming on the back of three successive Ashes clean sweeps on Australian soil, the upcoming fixture would be the most crucial for the English squad. The next red-ball clash at the Adelaide Oval would provide an important chance for them to halt the embarrassing streak, before Australia gets to an unassailable lead of 3-0.
Further, the inclusion of captain Pat Cummins and veteran spinner Nathan Lyon would help strengthen the hosts’ side. Amidst this, the ex-Black Caps batter still believes that the attacking style of play, popularly named as the “Bazball,” would be key for England to register the much-needed turnaround.
“We just need to chisel away at some of the things we haven’t got quite right, this is probably more attuned to our best style of cricket. For us now, it’s not a matter of fighting the war that’s been, it’s focusing on the one that’s coming,” concluded McCullum.
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