McCullum insists England do not have a ‘glass jaw’ and can fight back in the Ashes

Brendon McCullum has insisted England have the quality and character to pick themselves off the canvas and fight their way back into the Ashes match, refusing to accept the idea that players would feel sorry for themselves after starting the series with two savage defeats. “If you come to this country and have a glass jaw, you don’t have a chance,” he said. “You have to be strong and tough, and you have to get on with it.”

England travel to Noosa on Tuesday for a short break before moving to Adelaide to begin their preparations for the third Test, trailing 2-0 for the third Ashes series in a row. In 2020-21, Australia turned that lead into a 4-0 series win, but in 2023 England fought back to draw 2-2.

“We will build on what we achieved a few years ago,” said the head coach. “We’ve been down 2-0 here before, and we’ve only just come within the lines of victory, so there’s no point in feeling sorry for ourselves. That leads to all kinds of problems. Just get yourself out there, dust yourself off, grind off some of the rough spots and keep moving towards the goal.”

McCullum doubled down on his claim, first made on Sunday after Australia secured victory in the second Test by eight wickets, that England’s players had been overworked ahead of that match. “There is no such thing as perfect preparation,” he said. “Five days of training leading up to this match were two more than Australia and they were a lot fresher and sharper than us. Sometimes you have to make decisions based on your logic, your experience as a coach and how you assess the health of the army.”

“I am firmly convinced that training five days in a row in undermining conditions is not the solution. We have to stay physically in the tank a bit.” [and] emotionally a bit in the tank. We have three days of training when we get to Adelaide, and that is more than enough.”

The New Zealander defended the decision to head to Noosa, a seaside resort two hours’ drive north of Brisbane, for a mini-break that has been the subject of sharp criticism from fans and former players. “Our boys need to at least freshen up,” he said. “A few days away wouldn’t be the worst.”

The break gives McCullum and his coaching team time to reflect on the first two games and how they can improve the remainder of the series. “We have to let the dust settle here,” he said. “Just as all players will do, we as coaches will think carefully about what has worked well in recent weeks and what needs to be done over the next nine days to recalibrate and move towards a better performance than what we have shown to date.

“One thing we won’t change is the language in the dressing room, the way we approach the game and the style we’ve tried to work with. Yes, there are moments when we can absorb the pressure, moments when we can also be more precise on the ball, and a little bit more razor sharp in the field.”

“Ultimately, you can’t afford to back down when you come here. This isn’t a country to doubt yourself or shy away from a challenge. You don’t feel sorry for yourself when things don’t work out.”