England coach Brendon McCullum addresses security altercation and Noosa break ahead of third Test in Adelaide
“We will continue to try and embrace everything Australia has to offer. There is hostility; my wife is Australian. We still need to have fun off the field.”
With England trailing 2-0 in the five-Test series, McCullum once again defended his decision to travel to Noosa following the second Test defeat, saying the break had been planned for more than a year.
England players are taking a break from their Ashes preparations in Noosa.Credit: Seven News
He said the tourists were firmly involved in the Ashes competition and believed conditions in Adelaide would better suit England’s struggling top order.
McCullum also clarified his comments that England were “over-prepared” for the second Test.
“What I mean by overprepared is that we had five intense training sessions and I think we left ourselves a little short in terms of energy,” McCullum said.
“You need to be mentally fresh, you need to be physically fresh and I don’t think five intense training sessions after a tough defeat gives us the best chance.
‘When everyone around you is losing their minds, it’s pretty handy to keep yours.’
England manager Brendon McCullum
“I’m going to wear this. I’m happy to wear this as a leader.”
“Noosa was perfect. It was planned a year ago. It was an important period… to allow us to learn some lessons from the last few weeks.”
“Being 2-0 down means we’re making it even harder for ourselves, but that doesn’t stop the belief in the dressing room. “I don’t think we’ve been anywhere near our best so far in these two Tests.
“The point is not to go to war, but to focus on the next war and be a little more deliberate when we have the opportunity to step on the throat.”
The excitement is for Brendon McCullum and English cricket.Credit: Getty Images
McCullum said he is unimpressed by speculation about his future if the series continues to spiral.
“Right? We came here with high hopes and high expectations,” McCullum said. “We had a plan that we thought would give us the best chance of success. So far we haven’t been able to fully implement it.
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“From a coach’s perspective… you’re under that scrutiny, too. That’s something you have to embrace. When everyone around you is losing their mind, it’s pretty handy to keep yours. Since the scrutiny is at its highest and the job is at its most difficult, those are the things you have to look forward to. So I’m excited for this week.”
Meanwhile, McCullum said there was no discussion about promoting captain Ben Stokes to No. 3 and indicated England’s starting seven would likely remain unchanged for the match, which will see Australia bring Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon back into the starting XI.
“We’ve been in the top seven for a while now and have been pretty successful at that,” McCullum said. “These conditions must also suit the style of the batsmen we have.
“Cutting and changing established batting line-ups is not really our style.”
