English captain Ben Stokes refused to take the ball with the Ashes on the line in Adelaide because he felt like he “was going to snap in half”, as coach Brendon McCullum conceded England’s lack of game preparation contributed to a demoralising Ashes series loss.
Australia’s 82-run victory at the Adelaide Oval secured the urn after just 11 days of play in one of the most hyped series in memory, and the post-mortem on England’s tour began immediately.
McCullum is contracted to the ECB until after the next Ashes in 2027, but is set to face the blowtorch for a playing style and tour schedule that he conceded only allowed the tourists to truly match Australia late in the third Test when the series was almost gone.
Both he and Stokes spoke of learning to adapt the ultra-aggressive tactics ‘Bazball’ has championed, while the skipper said he remains “absolutely” committed to leading England for the final two Tests and beyond.
But having pushed his body to breaking point before, bowling himself into the groundas recently as the winter series against India, his absence from the English attack in do-or-die stakes on day three was telling.
“Honestly, I just didn’t feel right,” Stokes said after a gruelling five-day defeat.
Ben Stokes has cut an increasingly frustrated figure this tour.Credit: Getty Images
“I knew I still had a big role to be able to play for the team. I didn’t want to expose myself to something where I knew I wasn’t quite fit enough. I felt like I was going to snap in half every time I ran after a ball [so] I just looked after myself for the remaining few days of this game.
“I actually listened to the advice that was given to me for a change from the other senior boys.”
White-ball prodigy Jacob Bethell – who is yet to score a first-class century – is the only recognised batsman outside the current XI in England’s squad, and is expected to be a Boxing Day replacement for besieged No.3 Ollie Pope.
McCullum told English broadcaster TNT Sports that team changes are likely in Melbourne, but that no reinforcements would be called up from outside the touring party.
Brendon McCullum faces the English press pack.Credit: Getty Images
England’s lack of match practice before the first three Tests has drawn fierce criticism from past players. A three-day game at Lilac Hill against the English Lions was their only lead-in match to the series opener.
This masthead revealed England knocked back the option of playing Australia A in a fully-fledged warm-up match, while Test players also skipped the pink-ball PMs XI clash in favour of net sessions before the second Test.
“When you’ve lost 3-0, you’ve got to put your hand up and say, ‘Maybe I didn’t get that preparation right?’” McCullum said.
“Could we have done more leading into game one? And could we have done less [training] leading into game two? Ultimately [as coach], you’re responsible for that.”
After England kindled hopes of a miracle fourth-innings run-chase in Adelaide, McCullum gave credit to Australia’s relentless approach while lamenting that his own side’s best cricket only emerged when the series was all but gone.
“I feel like the previous sort of nine days, we’re so caught up and so driven to achieve something and succeed that we’ve almost got in our own way, and we’ve stymied our talent and our skill and our ability,” McCullum said
“It’s only been the last two days we’ve kind of let go and just played that we’ve actually competed and probably had our best two days of the tour.”
On the galling nature of England’s loss, Stokes added: “It obviously sucks. Knowing now that we can’t achieve what we set out to do here is obviously incredibly disappointing now.
“We have still got two games to go in the series, there is still a hell of a lot to play for … we aren’t going to turn around and kick the stumps over because we lost the series here, because there’s still so much more to play for.”
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
Most Viewed in Sport
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
