England were criticised heavily by experts for not having enough preparation for the Ashes 2025/26 series after their poor performance in the first two matches. However, England head coach Brendon McCullum said that they might have trained “too much”.
McCullum said to BBC’s Test Match Special:
“Not from a preparation point of view. If anything, we’ve probably trained too much to be honest. We’ve had five intense training sessions leading into this game, and that’s something as a coach you’ve got to make sure you’re aware of. I think sometimes there’s a tendency to want to overdo things to try and make up for it. But as we all know in this game, it’s playing the top two inches.”
England took a lead of 40 runs in a low-scoring match in the first innings of the first Test in Perth but Australia still thrashed them by eight wickets. However, despite this defeat, England opted not to send their main players to the warm-up match against Australia’s Prime Ministers XI at Manuka Oval in Canberra before the second Test. England’s performance deteriorated further in the second match, and Australia won comfortably by eight wickets at the Gabba in Brisbane.
McCullum added: “We’ve got to find a way to be able to, we all have to find a way to be able to ensure that we feel prepared physically, we’re prepared technically, we’re prepared for the battle, we adjust to the conditions as quickly as we can. But also, make sure we’re fresh, and we’re ready, and we’re able to make those succinct decisions in the heat of the battle, which can win or lose games.”
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