The Ashes: Brendon McCullum says England will not change batting line-up

Ahead of the second Test, England opted not to send the players from the first Test into the day-night England Lions match against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.

The tourists instead opted for five days of training in Brisbane, with McCullum claiming the Gabba defeat left them “over-prepared”.

On Sunday, the former New Zealand captain said he stood by his comments but also said he made them to distract attention from the players.

“There are things you say and things you do, and in the business you’re in, sometimes it’s better to keep the scrutiny on yourself,” McCullum said.

“There is no perfect preparation. If there was, and you could bowl 4,000 balls to guarantee an average of 90, or take so many balls to guarantee 10 wickets, then we would do that; don’t worry. But that doesn’t exist.”

“Five intense days before a Test match is not the best way to prepare. We will work on the next three days to make sure we get ourselves in the right mental framework and skill level to be able to perform.”

England returned to training on Sunday after a break in the Queensland resort town of Noosa.

Their approach, particularly their off-field activities during this tour, has often come under criticism.

They began training on Sunday with intense on-field drills, which is unusual for England under Stokes and McCullum.

“There’s a feeling that we’re going about our business too casually, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” McCullum added.

“The level of intensity we try to work with and the fierce edge we try to bring to the team is all-encompassing. That’s how we try to live our lives and start this cricket team.”