A strange comment by England coach Brendon McCullum regarding his side’s now-infamous Noosa trip after the Gabba Test has been questioned by a cricket journalist.
Earlier this week McCullum defended the decision to relax on the Sunshine Coast rather than have his team practice harder heading into the must-win Adelaide clash, beginning Wednesday.
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“Noosa was excellent. It was planned a year ago. It was an important period … to allow ourselves to learn some lessons of the last few weeks,” he said.
But freelance writer Cameron Ponsonby has pointed out England had its holiday lined up over a year advance yet didn’t have a bowling coach until just weeks before the Ashes.
“I don’t know how much they enjoyed themselves (in Noosa) – one strip (of beach) and press everywhere,” Ponsonby said on The Grade Cricketer podcast.
“It made me laugh a little bit – McCullum spoke to the press yesterday (Monday) and kinda mentioned that part of the reason they stuck to their guns with it was they’d planned it for over a year in advance. They had Noosa plans, the holiday.
“I’m staying with Matt Roller from Cricinfo in Adelaide, and he kinda made the point to me a couple of weeks ago all about that. It was the beginning of October, he’d texted Dale Steyn and been like, I’d heard there’s a rumour you might be England’s bowling coach – what’s the go?
“And Steyn replied back, nope, nothing from here. And then a couple of days later McCullum called Steyn up and was like, are you free? He was like no, I’m busy.
“So six weeks before the Ashes, he hadn’t quite sorted the bowling coach, and called Dale Steyn late. But Noosa was in the books for a year. We’ve got everything in order, it’s all fine!”
England eventually appointed David Saker as fast-bowling coach in mid-October, with Tim Southee who previously held the job temporarily departing after the first Test to play in the ILT20.
Steyn had previously worked with Andrew Flintoff’s England Lions staff.
‘TURN IT ON’: TWIST IN SMITH, ARCHER FEUD AS STOKES HAMMERS HOME ‘FIGHT’ MEMO
It was the fiery moment in Brisbane that saw Jofra Archer come under fire from Steve Smith — and now, Ben Stokes has revealed the role he played in sparking the incident.
“You bowl fast when there’s nothing going on champion,” the stand-in Australian skipper said as Archer, with the second Test already all but over, started to consistently hit speeds of 150km/h in the fourth innings.
It prompted criticism from former greats with Michael Vaughan and Ricky Ponting among those to call Archer out.
“Great theatre but I will be honest, I want to see Jofra bowling like this in the first innings in Adelaide,” Vaughan said on Fox Cricket.
“Not when you’re defending 65 and the lights are on and you’re only going to bowl four or five overs, I want to see that on the first morning.”
Ponting, meanwhile, said Archer had embarrassed himself.
“Jofra, he just embarrassed himself, and he embarrassed his team the other night, that’s what I make of that,” Ponting told SEN.
“To bowl his fastest spell ever in Test cricket, when Australia’s chasing 60… it (the fast spell) has been there the whole time, it’s been up his sleeve, and England have needed him to do it, and he hasn’t been willing to do it.”
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Speaking ahead of the third Test, England skipper Ben Stokes revealed Archer was simply following his directions to “really turn it on” as a marker for Adelaide.
“That was one of those moments when I asked him to really turn it on because I needed that to be a marker for us to carry into Adelaide,” Stokes said, calling it a “really, really important moment for us in the series”.
While Archer did not take a wicket, that aggressive spell to close out the innings was further proof to Stokes of the 30-year-old’s ability to change gears when asked.
“The thing with Jof is he’s got an amazing ability to be able to go through gears,” Stokes said.
“And when he does operate in his third gear, as we call it, he’s still bowling as fast as (the rest of) us. Also, he’s probably our most economical bowler.
“Every time I’ve asked Jofra to turn it up to fifth gear since he’s come back into the Test team, he’s done that. It doesn’t guarantee success, doesn’t guarantee he’s going to blaze a team away, but it shows a lot of character… he’s very committed.”
Stokes wants that same commitment from the rest of his team, having turned the blowtorch on his teammates after the second Test when he said Australia is “not for weak men”.
When asked by reporters if on-field fight is something that comes more naturally to him than his teammates, Stokes got philosophical about what that word actually means.
“It’s a word that I think people don’t really understand what it means. What it means to me could be completely different to someone else,” he said.
To him, fight is showing “a bit of dog”.
“That’s fight to me,” Stokes added.
“As long as you go out there and everyone is in that mindset around the situation and what is needed, you’re giving yourself the best possible chance if you’ve got a bit of dog in you.”
Stokes was again asked about “fight” in his press conference less than 24 hours out from the first ball, elaborating on the consistent messaging for his side in the lead-up.
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“We want to show fight in all aspects of this game; in the field, bowling, batting … it’s not specific to one thing,” Stokes told reporters on Tuesday afternoon at Adelaide Oval.
“Fight (and) understand what you need to do as an individual for the team. Espeically for some guys when they’re out in the field and they don’t have the opportunity to take the ball, if they can win the game for us like that.
“Their resposibiltiy doesn’t end there, they have a resposibility throughout the whole game, and knowing that and understanding that.”
After losing the first two Tests, England need a miracle to reclaim the Ashes.
While they were able to dig themselves out of a 2-0 hole to draw the Ashes in 2023, the Donald Bradman-led Australian team in 1936-37 are the only team to have come back from 2-0 to win a five-match series in the 148-year history of Test cricket.
Stokes, however, said England has used the third Test against India at Lord’s in July as inspiration. On that occasion, England secured a thrilling 22-run win on a tense final day.
“That’s exactly what I’m on about,” said Stokes.
“That was a moment where we all did that, we all noticed and we all identified that moment.
“You saw the way the team came out on that day. We were probably in a situation where we would have to be absolutely perfect to win that game and we were. On the back of attitude, mentality towards that specific situation is what gave us the best chance of winning that game.”
ENGLAND’S ‘MEANINGFUL’ CONVERSATIONS
English skipper Ben Stokes revealed his squad had “proper, meaningful conversations” in the wake of his claims that Australia was no place for “weak” cricket.
The tourists face the mammoth task of reviving the Ashes series are going 2-0 following a resounding defeat in Brisbane, which prompted Stokes to call on his players to “dig deep” and fight through tough periods.
After enjoying a four-day break in Noosa, the English squad came together to discuss cricket for the first time since Stokes’ comments – which prompted an honest meeting ahead of their first training session back.
“I’ve done all the talking over the last two days that I needed to,” Stokes said to the SMH.
“What needed to be said has been said. Everyone’s very switched on for what needs to be done this week.
“A few more expectations, I think, around the group, but everyone responded incredibly well to it, because what other option do we have?”
With a candid admission, Stokes also explained he believed his players had been overwhelmed with the intense nature of Ashes cricket.
“Honestly I think so,” he said.
“There’s been a lot of guys in the squad who have come out here to Australia for the first time and I remember my first tour here, you try to imagine what it’s going to be like and you hear people talk.
“And when it does come around it’s like ‘wow’. But now I feel everyone has experienced that and probably at its highest level so we all know what it’s going to be like.
“So for the next three games there isn’t going to be any of that ‘I didn’t expect this’, ‘it’s the first time I’ve had this’.
“Even the likes of Jamie Smith, the whole day he dropped that catch and then the whole crowd was wailing at him every time he caught the ball. He now knows it.”
Elsewhere, England have made a single change to their XI for the Adelaide Test, with seamer Josh Tounge replacing Gus Atkinson.
That shuffle will see Brydon Carse take the new ball after he retained his position in the touring bowling attack alongside Jofra Archer, Stokes, Tounge and Will Jacks.
LYON’S DEFIANT MESSAGE AHEAD OF RETURN
Elsewhere, Nathan Lyon said on Monday that he had nothing to prove after being surprisingly left out of the second Ashes Test, with the veteran Australia spinner expected to be recalled for the Adelaide encounter with England.
The 38-year-old was not included for a pink-ball Test against the West Indies in July, marking his first omission while fit in 12 years.
He played in the Ashes opener at Perth but was then overlooked for the day-night Test at the Gabba, where Australia again opted for an all-pace attack.
Lyon at the time said that missing out was “absolutely filthy”. But he will almost certainly be back for the third Test in Adelaide starting Wednesday with extreme heat expected and a dry wicket that will favour spin.
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“I’ve played 140 Test matches. I feel like I don’t have a point to prove to anyone,” said Lyon ahead of a Test that could see Australia wrap up the five-match series.
“I’m very clear on my role within this Australian cricket team. I love playing with everyone in that change room and love playing representing Australia.
“If I get that opportunity again I’ll keep doing that. My dream is to continue to play cricket for Australia.
“No one’s got a given right to be selected,” he added.
“You’ve got to work your backside off to make sure that you put your hand up for selection and you earn that right.”
Lyon needs two more wickets in Adelaide to surpass fellow Australian Glenn McGrath’s 563 and move into sixth on the all-time list.
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