The creed of Bazball was based on supreme self-confidence and an absence of doubt, but after losing the Ashes at the earliest possible stage, England coach Brendon McCullum finally admitted that there may have been some errors in preparation for the series, which he had said would “define” players.
Australia were never able to field their first-choice XI in any of the three Tests, but that didn’t prevent them from being too good for the tourists, whose primary aim now would be to avoid a 0-5 debacle.
“We haven’t got everything right. I haven’t got everything right as a coach and I put my hand up for that,” McCullum told BBC Test Match Special after the 82-run defeat in Adelaide on Sunday.
“It is disappointing when you lose and I’m sure there will be plenty of questions asked and rightfully so.”
Not playing practice games on the tour, enjoying a break on the Sunshine Coast after losing the first two Tests, and an emphasis on having a good time while playing cricket created an impression that the team was casual in its approach and didn’t care enough for the assignment at hand.
“I have been very strong about the conviction we had and our preparation and, you know, for us, it was a matter of trying to replicate what we have done in series that have been successful for us away from home,” McCullum said.
“Maybe, we didn’t get that right and I’ll acknowledge that. Ultimately, you are responsible for how you get your side ready and how you prepare them.”
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The England top seven remained constant despite repeated failures with Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope being the lowest contributors, and McCullum, in hindsight, believes changes should have been made.
“We are 3-0 down so you would probably say there was room for change there. Again, you put your hand up as a coach and say you might not have got that right,” the former New Zealand captain said.
“At the same time, I felt it would give us our best chance because it has previously. Sitting here 3-0, it didn’t work. Your job as a coach is to try and get performance on the field. I was confident we had it right but obviously we didn’t.”
The England coach heaped praise on the Australian outfit, saying they were “as precise as a team as I have seen in the last few years.” This quality prevented his team from playing in the way they wanted to.
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“When you’re put under immense pressure, your decision- making can become a little blurred at times and you don’t know whether to stick or twist,” he said.
“That’s probably the disappointing aspect because I did think we were rock hard in our belief of the style we were going to play when we were down here, knowing we were going to be challenged. But I do think we got a little bit stuck.”
