England will have only three days of practice before their must-win third Ashes Test against Australia next week in Adelaide.
Hopes of a first England away Ashes success since 2010/11 are in serious doubt after heavy defeats in the first two Tests, with the tourists thrashed inside two days in Perth before falling to an eight-wicket loss during the day-night Test in Brisbane.
The preparation of Ben Stokes’ side came under heavy scrutiny after they only played a two-day game against the England Lions ahead of the first Test, before leaving out all their starting XI for a pink-ball match against a Prime Minister’s XI before the second Test.
England underwent additional training in Brisbane during the extended break between Tests, with five days of practice sessions – including one optional – scheduled before their latest loss at the Gabba.
Head coach Brendon McCullum suggested after England’s defeat they had ‘trained too much’ during that period, with five consecutive sessions two more than usual, adding he felt they had ‘over-prepared’.
McCullum’s comments were criticised by several pundits and former players, while it has been confirmed to Sky Sports that England will now have six days without any form of cricket before they resume preparations for the third Test.
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Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast, Andrew Strauss and Nasser Hussain questioned England’s Ashes preparation
The team and support staff are travelling to Noosa in Queensland for a pre-planned break on Tuesday afternoon, arranged before the series and where no cricket training will take place, before flying to Adelaide on Saturday.
England are then scheduled to train on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before the third Test begins on Wednesday (11.30pm Tuesday, UK time), where anything other than a victory will see Australia retain the Ashes with two matches to spare.
Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes are hoping to lead England to an Ashes fightback
No Test team since Australia in 1936-37 have come back from two down to win a five-match series, while England have now lost 15 and drawn two of their last 17 away Ashes Tests since retaining the urn Down Under in 2010-11.
More to follow…
Ashes series in Australia 2025-26
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
