His side may be teetering on the brink of Ashes oblivion at 2-0 down, but England coach Brendan McCullum isn’t backing down from his critics.
The Kiwi was at his defiant best post-match at the Gabba, telling Channel 7 rather than being underdone for the pink ball Ashes Test as many experts have said, England were in fact over prepared.
McCullum also revealed that with yet another Test lost prematurely, the squad is looking forward to some casual beach time on the Sunshine Coast.
“Leading into this match, I felt like we over prepared to be honest,” the under fire 44-year-old explained of five intense training days in the nets.
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“I think sometimes 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 is completely sound,” McCullum continued.
“I think the boys just need a few days off and probably need to change up a few of the training methods.
“We’ve got a couple days in Noosa so we can spend some time together more casually... And start to plot and plan our way back into the series.”
“If it was easy, then there wouldn’t be as much fun,” he added.
‘Fun’ perhaps isn’t the word most England fans would be using after yet another heavy Test defeat in Brisbane.
The Third Ashes Test begins at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday, 17 December.