News
Not Under Preparation, McCullum Reveals What Led To England's Downfall At Gabba
Follow UsMcCullum also criticised the fact that England always remained deficient in all fields
It was not under preparation that cost England the game in the Gabba Test as many said, but it was quite the opposite, according to their head coach Brendon McCullum.
"Leading into this Test match, I actually felt like we over-prepared, to be honest. We had five intense training days. When you're in the heat of the battle, as we all know, sometimes the most important thing is to feel a little bit fresh and make sure your top two inches [of your head] is completely sound,” ESPNcricinfo quoted McCullum as saying to Channel 7 after the end of the Gabba Test.
Talking about his philosophy and how he coaches the team, McCullum defended his team going off to Noosa resort town after the Gabba Test to refresh ahead of the last three Tests of the Ashes 2025-26.
"I think the boys just need a few days off, and probably need to just change up a few of the training methods a little bit. I'm a horse-racing man, and you wouldn't just keep doing the same thing with your horse, you'd send it around in figure-eights or over the little jumps, just to try and switch it on a bit. We'll look at some alternative methods over the next few days,” he asserted.
"[It] will be good to spend a bit casually and just let the dust settle on what's been a pretty intense couple of weeks and start to plot and plan our way back into the series,” added the New Zealand-born.
The third Test in Adelaide will begin from December 17 and instead of training for five straight days that they did ahead of the Gabba Test, they will only train for three days, the website wrote in its report.
McCullum also criticised the fact that England always remained deficient in all fields.
"It is hard enough to take 10 wickets against a good side like that, let alone needing to take 15. There were areas with the bat where we were deficient, there were areas with the ball where we were deficient, and there were areas in the field where we were deficient,” he said.
How the move to Noosa shifts the noose-hold that Australia have on the Ashes is yet to be seen.