Brendon McCullum says England will use 'alternative methods' to prepare for third Ashes Test in Adelaide amid Noosa mini-break
Published 07/12/2025 at 15:01 GMT
England need to produce one of the great sporting comebacks to win the Ashes after falling 2-0 behind in the series. Their head coach Brendon McCullum says the team was "over-prepared" and will now use "alternative methods" ahead of the Adelaide Test, which will be live on TNT Sports and discovery+. The England party are planning a four-night break in the resort town of Noosra.
England v Australia Ashes highlights: Stokes' troops fall 2-0 behind in series
Video credit: TNT Sports
England will use "alternative methods" to prepare for the third Test in Adelaide, says head coach Brendon McCullum, after seeing his side fall 2-0 behind in the NRMA Insurance men's Ashes series with a crushing defeat in Brisbane.
McCullum claimed his team were "over-prepared" after the chastening eight-wicket loss in Brisbane.
The team trained five times ahead of the match, rather than opting for pink-ball match practice against the Prime Minister's XI in Canberra.
Now, they will head to the resort town of Noosa for a four-night break in the build-up to the Adelaide Test, which begins on December 17 and will be live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
"I think the boys just need a few days off, and probably need to just change up a few of the training methods a little bit," McCullum said.
"I'm a horse racing man, and you wouldn't just keep doing the same thing with your horse, you'd send it around in figure-eights or over the little jumps, just to try and switch it on a bit.
"We'll look at some alternative methods over the next few days."
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England were 'not able to stand up to pressure' of Ashes Test - Stokes
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Talk over England's preparation for matches has dominated this Ashes tour.
Before the first Test in Perth, a match England also lost by eight wickets, they decided to play a single warm-up game against the Lions squad at Lilac Hill, a club ground in the city.
England captain Ben Stokes, who admitted his team were "not able to stand up to the pressure" of Test cricket in Brisbane, says the break may help to ease some of the rigours of such an intense tour.
"We've been here four weeks, and it's been pretty full-on, on and off the field," Stokes said.
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"As physical as this game is, a huge part of it is also the mental side of it. I know that. I've experienced that. I know what the game can do to you when things aren't quite feeling right or going well.
"Trust me when I say that it is so, so important that teams [can] go away as a team and almost put the pressures of this aside for a couple of days.
"That doesn't mean that everything just disappears, and we don't speak about what's going on. Those conversations are constantly happening.
"This is a high-pressure environment. We chose to do this. We're lucky enough to do this. It comes with the job, but it's also very, very important that when you do get the opportunity, that you are able to go away and refresh your mind because obviously in [Adelaide] we need to be not only physically good, but mentally very good as well."
Watch every ball of the Ashes live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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