McCullum Says England Went Overboard in Second Test Preparation

After suffering a crushing defeat against Australia in the second Test, Brendon McCullum believes that England went into the match “over-prepared”. He thinks the team took part in too many extra training sessions instead of keeping themselves fresh for the actual game. While this may have affected their performance, he maintains that it cannot be used as an excuse for the loss.

Before the match, England took five intense training sessions at Allan Border Field and the Gabba Stadium. They trained in hot and humid conditions, which, according to McCullum, may have taken a toll on their performance.

"Leading into this Test match, I actually felt like we over-prepared, to be honest. We had five intense training days. When you're in the heat of the battle, as we all know, sometimes the most important thing is to feel a little bit fresh and make sure your top two inches [of your head] is completely sound.” said Brendon McCullum while talking to the media.

He said the players would need a few days off, and they might also change their training methods for the next game. The management will certainly look at some alternatives, so that players could get some time to get fresh before the match.

"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. 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." said England head coach, Brendon McCullum.

The preparation methods of the England team before the Brisbane Test were heavily criticized by fans and cricket experts. Michael Vaughan said the team was given everything they wanted to prepare for the game, so they cannot offer any excuses for the defeat.

"No one can tell me that this England management has given this England team the best chance [to win the series]." said Michael Vaughan.

Need to Pay Attention on Mental Fitness

The captain of the England team, Ben Stokes, said that they have been both physically and mentally engaged with the series for the past four weeks. It becomes challenging for players to maintain their focus in such an environment, especially when things aren’t going their way.

"We've been here four weeks, and it's been pretty full-on, on and off the field. 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.” said England captain, Ben Stokes.

"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.” added Ben Stokes.

He then reiterated that cricketers are required to play in a high-pressure environment, however, they also need to relax their mind a bit. Just like physical fitness, it is important for them to stay mentally fresh by taking some time off from the game.

"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." said Ben Stokes.

Speaking about the last match, McCullum said that England dropped plenty of chances that allowed Australia to come back into the game. It certainly proved detrimental for them, giving Australia an opportunity to score a big total.

"It is hard enough taking 10 wickets against a good side like that, let alone needing to take 15. There were areas with the bat where we were deficient, there were areas with the ball where we were deficient, and there were areas in the field where we were deficient." concluded Brendon McCullum.