England head coach Brendon McCullum has taken responsibility for the team’s disastrous Ashes preparations, admitting “maybe I didn’t get that right” after Australia retained the urn with a crushing 3-0 lead in just 11 days of cricket.

McCullum’s mea culpa: “I didn’t get that preparation right”

Speaking to TNT Sports after England’s 82-run defeat in Adelaide, McCullum conceded that the tourists’ approach heading into the series had been badly misjudged​

• England arrived in Australia with only one warm-up match—a low-key fixture against their own second-tier Lions side at Lilac Hill, Perth, on a slow pitch that bore no resemblance to the fast, bouncy tracks they would face in the Tests.

• After the first Test ended in two days with an eight-wicket loss in Perth, England opted against sending their full squad to Canberra for a pink-ball practice match ahead of the day-night second Test at the Gabba​

• Instead, they held five days of intensive net sessions in Brisbane, a decision that backfired spectacularly—England lost by eight wickets again, prompting McCullum’s bizarre claim that the team had “overprepared.​

Reflecting on the series defeat, McCullum admitted: “What did we get right? What did we get wrong? Probably we go back to the preparation, that’ll be something that gets questioned. And when you’ve lost 3-0, you need to put your hand up and say ‘maybe I didn’t get that preparation right.’”

He added: “It’s not just leading into the first game. It’s could we have done more leading into game one and could we have done less leading into game two? I didn’t get that right because we lost 3-0. Lots to digest, look through and be better next time.”

Former captains and Stokes’ “has beens” backlash

England’s limited preparation drew sharp criticism from former captains Ian Botham, Michael Vaughan and Graham Gooch, who questioned the team’s readiness for the intensity of an Ashes series in Australia. The critique sparked a backlash when England skipper Ben Stokes dismissed his predecessors as “has beens,” a remark that drew widespread condemnation from fans and media.

McCullum’s public acknowledgment of his own errors appears to be an attempt to draw a line under the controversy and shift focus to salvaging pride in the final two Tests.

Bazball in tatters: Australia dominate all departments

The Ashes demise in 11 days was the joint-second quickest in more than a century, leaving the ultra-aggressive “Bazball” style of cricket pioneered by McCullum and Stokes in tatters.

• England had arrived bullish that they could win a series in Australia for the first time since 2010-11, but those hopes imploded with consecutive eight-wicket defeats in Perth and Brisbane before a closer 82-run loss in Adelaide​

• McCullum admitted that Australia had “outplayed us with the bat, outplayed us with the ball, and outplayed us in the field,” describing their overall performance as the most “precise,” “formidable” and “consistent” he had seen from an Australian team in years.

• With the ball, England lacked relentless accuracy; with the bat, they failed to post enough runs or find the right tempo; and in the field, they missed crucial chances.

Changes for Boxing Day: Pope dropped, Archer ruled out

England will make at least two changes for the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26.

• Ollie Pope has been dropped after managing just 125 runs at an average of 20.83 across six innings and failing to score a half-century against Australia in 16 Ashes innings across two tours.

• He will be replaced at No. 3 by 21-year-old left-handed all-rounder Jacob Bethell, who made his Test debut in New Zealand and will win his fifth cap on Boxing Day​

• Fast bowler Jofra Archer has been ruled out of the remaining two Tests with a side strain and will return to the UK for assessment, though England are confident he will be fit for the T20 World Cup in February.

• ​Gus Atkinson returns in Archer’s place and will share the new ball with Brydon Carse, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has been overlooked once again despite Ben Stokes’ insistence that he remains England’s No. 1 spinner.

• Will Jacks keeps his place at No. 8 as a spin-bowling all-rounder, and Josh Tongue is retained after taking five wickets in Adelaide.

• Australia will also make at least three changes, with Pat Cummins (back rehabilitation) and Nathan Lyon (torn hamstring) both missing out, and Steven Smith set to captain the side as he returns from illness.

“We have a great opportunity to salvage some pride”

Despite the series being lost, McCullum believes England showed encouraging signs in Adelaide—where they posted their best batting performance of the tour in chasing a world-record target of 435—and insists there is still something to play for​

“We do have a great opportunity in the next two Tests,” he said. “We need to find something out of this tour, salvage some pride and play for all the people who have come to Australia to support this team and all the people back in England who have supported this team as well.”

​He added: “If we get into that state where we just play the game and immerse yourself in the state of what needs to be done and allow your talent to come out in pressure situations, then you’ve got every opportunity.”

With the Ashes already gone and England languishing in seventh place on the World Test Championship table with just a 27.08% win rate, the Boxing Day and New Year Tests represent a final chance for McCullum and Stokes to prove that Bazball can work in Australia—and to salvage some credibility ahead of a crucial home summer.