England trained ‘too much’ prior to Ashes collapse: McCullum

AFP/APP

London: England coach Brendon McCullum has dismissed claims that his side were under-prepared for the Ashes, insisting the team actually “trained too much” before their eight-wicket defeat on Sunday that left them 2-0 down in the series against Australia.

England played just one pre-series warm-up match and, after losing the first Test inside two days, chose not to field first-choice players in a pink-ball tour game in Canberra, opting instead for extended net sessions.

The strategy has drawn fierce criticism from former stars, with Ian Botham even suggesting that travelling supporters should ask the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for refunds.

But McCullum defended the preparation plan.

“If anything, we trained too much. We had five intense training sessions leading into this game,” he told the BBC.

“Sometimes there is a tendency to overdo things to make up for it. As we all know, the game is played in the top two inches. We all have to find a way to ensure that we feel prepared physically and technically, but also make sure we are fresh and able to make decisions in the heat of the games.”

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Speaking to Australia’s Channel 7, McCullum added:

“I actually feel like we over-prepared, to be honest… I think the boys just need a few days off and we probably need to change up a few of the training methods.”

England’s players are now set to enjoy four days off in Noosa before the third Test in Adelaide begins on December 16.

The defeat leaves England facing the prospect of another Ashes embarrassment, despite arriving in Australia optimistic about reclaiming the urn for the first time since the 2010/11 series.

England have never overturned a 2-0 deficit to win an Ashes series, while Australia have not lost three consecutive home Tests in 38 years. However, England did recover from 2-0 down to draw the last Ashes series 2-2 on home soil two years ago.

“We’ve been here before and we’ll have to make sure we stay tight as a group and iron out a couple of the chinks we’ve shown over the last two Test matches,” McCullum said.

“It’s very hard to beat Australia at home if you’re deficient in all three areas. We’ve got work to do. There’s no point feeling sorry for yourself — you pick yourself up and you go again.”