ENGLAND WANT BETTER PREPARATION FOR FUTURE ASHES DESPITE DEFENDING ONGOING TOUR
England are frantically seeking agreements with Australia over more robust Ashes warm-ups on future tours despite maintaining they are happy with their preparation for this series.
England are 2-0 down after a second eight-wicket defeat and on Tuesday will now head to the glamorous seaside resort of Noosa, where they will enjoy a long-planned “mid-series break”.
The tourists’ novel approach to preparing for Tests has been roundly criticised. England only played a three-day warm-up match against their second-string Lions at Lilac Hill, a suburban club ground on the outskirts of Perth known for its slow, low surface as their only middle practice for the series, which began at Perth Stadium and is known for its fearsome bounce.
After the second Test, England opted to send none of the players who have appeared in the series so far to Canberra for a pink-ball match against the Prime Minister’s XI, despite very rarely playing day/night Tests.
Prior to the series, England requested use of the legendary Waca Ground, where the bounce is the same as Perth Stadium. That request was denied because of the Sheffield Shield schedule, with the only option being a club ground in Adelaide, 1,500 miles away, or Perth.
Last year, India had a long camp at the Waca for an internal match before the first Test, which they won. One insider wryly pointed out that “even the Barmy Army played at the Waca”. As part of their “Bashes” series, the Barmy Army played local opposition on the eve of the Perth Test.
One senior administrator said it was time for boards to “grow up” and ensure their opponents were well prepared for Tests for the good of the format.
Following the loss in Brisbane, the England coach Brendon McCullum raised eyebrows that his team “trained too much leading into this game” having scheduled net sessions five days in a row.
Of the cricket-free trip to Noosa, he said: “If anything, our boys need a freshen up. A few days away wouldn’t be the worst thing.”
Asked about the “optics” of taking what is essentially a holiday in the middle of the series, McCullum said: “There is no perfect preparation. Five days of training leading into this game was two more than Australia had and they were a lot fresher and sharper than what we were.
“Sometimes you’ve got to make decisions based on your logic, your experience as a coach and how you’re assessing the health of the army. It will be sticking to the same plan. We have three days of training when we get to Adelaide, which is more than enough. Then it’s making sure we add the physical preparation of those last three days with the mental freshen up of the next three days. That will give us the best chance.”
England have a small squad of 16 in Australia, and Mark Wood is almost certainly out of the third Test with a knee injury. England may ask a couple of Lions players to remain with the main squad as cover before they fly home this week. The Lions were thrashed by an innings and 127 runs by Australia A at Allan Border Field in Brisbane.
This is an admission that mistakes have been made
Conversations with Cricket Australia appear a tacit acceptance that despite their public pronouncements, England are in fact unhappy with the preparation provided as part of the terms of the tour agreement. It also appears to acknowledge that England have not got things entirely right themselves.
This contrasts with pre-Covid tours of Australia, where England have normally played three formal fixtures to acclimatise for the extra bounce, pace and heat of playing in Australia.
However, England’s approach to this tour has been accepted as “the modern way” by McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, who maintain that they were ready for the fire and brimstone of Ashes battle. Yet the record shows England have not won a Test in Australia since January 2011.
England are pushing for a reciprocal arrangement over future tours, so that the visiting team gets their pick of facilities, and potentially even a formal first-class match against the home side’s “A” team.
This agreement would kick in in 2027, when Australia are likely to be playing in the World Test Championship final, which is expected to remain at Lord’s, before the Ashes. England’s next tour of Australia is in four years and any agreement would be written into the “memorandum of understanding” for the tour.
Either way, this is an admission that England might not have got things quite right. Privately, senior figures have acknowledged that England would have been better served not scheduling white-ball matches in New Zealand before this tour.
Before the next Ashes, the 2029 Champions Trophy takes place, but there is a determination to build a bigger window for prep.
2025-12-08T12:00:42Z