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Meanwhile, a Test cricket legend has put the spotlight on Ben Stokes and a hilarious mishap involving three England players has been revealed. <\/p>\n
Read on for that and MORE in the Ashes Daily! <\/p>\n
\u2018GROW UP\u2019: ENGLAND WANT BETTER PREP FOR FUTURE ASHES<\/p>\n
Brendon McCullum may have claimed they \u201ctrained too much\u201d<\/a>, but reports that England are requesting better warmup preparations before the 2029-30 Ashes series suggest otherwise.<\/p>\n McCullum\u2019s response to criticism of England\u2019s preparation has made headlines after Australia cruised to a 2-0 series lead, with the tourists playing only one pre-series warm-up match and then, following defeat inside two days in the first Test, opted against putting their first-choice players into a pink-ball tour game in Canberra in favour of more time in the nets.<\/p>\n Those decisions have drawn stinging criticism from legendary former players with Ian Botham suggesting travelling fans should be demanding their money back from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).<\/p>\n McCullum was defiant when quizzed on England\u2019s preparations, telling the BBC that if anything they \u201ctrained too much\u201d having participated in five \u201cintense\u201d training sessions leading into the second Test.<\/p>\n That, however, is at odds with reports from both The Telegraph<\/a> and The Guardian<\/a> which claim that England is after better preparation for future series.<\/p>\n According to the Guardian, the ECB is prepared to offer Australia its pick of warmup facilities before the next Ashes in 2027 in a bid to get similar treatment in return ahead of the 2029-30 series down under. <\/p>\n Specifically, England is looking for a mutually-beneficial arrangement where both teams are guaranteed \u201chigh\u2011class facilities, on similar surfaces and in similar weather to those they will face in Tests, and matches against high\u2011quality opposition if desired\u201d, as per The Guardian.<\/p>\n England had asked to use the Waca Ground prior to the first Test at Perth Stadium, but that was denied with a Sheffield Shield game between Western Australia and Queensland already scheduled.<\/p>\n UK VIEW: How McCullum \u2018brainwashed\u2019 Eng stars as Bazball \u2018cult\u2019 blasted<\/a><\/p>\n Skull calls for Kellaway’s Ashes debut | 00:58<\/p>\n Instead, England was reportedly offered the chance to play its warmup game on a club ground in Adelaide or a ground of similar quality in Perth. <\/p>\n Furthermore, The Guardian reported that England was then offered a two-day pink-ball warmup for the day-night Test in Brisbane in Canberra, where Peter Siddle even conceded the conditions would be \u201ctotally different\u201d<\/a> and that \u201cthere\u2019s not going to be a lot they can get out of it\u201d.<\/p>\n That is in stark contrast to India\u2019s preparation ahead of last year\u2019s first Test in Perth, where they were afforded the opportunity to have an extended camp at the Waca. <\/p>\n One insider, meanwhile, cheekily pointed out to The Telegraph that \u201ceven the Barmy Army played at the Waca\u201d before the Perth Test, while a senior administrator called on boards to \u201cgrow up\u201d and make sure the opposition is better prepared for Tests.<\/p>\n England\u2019s players are now set to be handed four days off in the holiday resort of Noosa before the third Test in Adelaide begins on December 16.<\/p>\n THE AUSSIE THAT ENGLAND \u2018WOULD NOT EVEN CONSIDER\u2019 \u2014 AND WHY IT\u2019S A PROBLEM<\/p>\n England captain Ben Stokes demanded his players toughen up after another embarrassing defeat to Australia, making clear the team is \u201cnot a place for weak men\u201d.<\/p>\n The problem? Former England Test captain Michael Vaughan wrote in a column for The Telegraph<\/a> that Stokes must accept his own role in letting that weakness \u201cfester\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cIt has been a no-consequence environment for too long,\u201d Vaughan wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cThe team are told how good they are, and backed constantly, whether they play well or not. English cricket is reaping what it has sown.\u201d<\/p>\n Further to that, Vaughan wrote that he could actually find some sense in McCullum\u2019s contentious claim that England trained \u201ctoo much\u201d before the first Test \u2014 but only because he believes that England\u2019s younger players are being exposed to real-game environments enough. <\/p>\n \u201cI do not understand why we don\u2019t want them playing all the time, even if the opposition are not that good. Nets are fine but nothing beats going to bed at night with a score or a few wickets,\u201d Vaughan added.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a great feeling. That is why I actually thought there was something in what Brendon McCullum said about England training too much before the Test.<\/p>\n It was a slightly strange thing to say after a defeat, but England train rather than play cricket, as we have seen on this tour. Lilac Hill was not the right prep, and they needed a pink-ball match to be truly ready. <\/p>\n \u201cTraining and not playing is just another example of a no-consequence environment. You never know if you are out or not in the nets, and you face another ball anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n MORE ASHES NEWS<\/p>\n AUSSIE RATINGS: Every Aussie rated from the second Test<\/a><\/p>\n