McCullum says England had "overprepared" after 9-wicket loss to Australia in Brisbane

Brisbane [Australia], December 7 (ANI): England head coach Brendon McCullum has said his side "overprepared" for the second Ashes Test, which they lost against Australia by eight wickets at the Gabba.

While speaking on Channel 7, Brendon McCullum said the team may have overprepared for the test match, with five intense training days. He emphasised the importance of feeling fresh and having key skills sharp. He suggested the players need a few days off and that some training methods might be adjusted in the coming days.

"I think leading into this test match, I actually felt like we overprepared, to be honest. We had five intense training days and I think sometimes when you're in the heat of the battle, as we all know, I think sometimes the most important thing is to feel a little bit fresh and make sure your top two inches is completely sound. And I think the boys just need a few days off and probably need to change up a few of the training methods a little bit. So we'll look at some alternative methods over the next few days," he said.

Notably, Australia took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series with the win. Chasing just 65 for victory, Australia reached the target in 10 overs, with stand-in captain Steve Smith (23*) and Jake Weatherald (17*) finishing unbeaten.

Earlier, England posted 334 in their first innings, powered by Joe Root's unbeaten 138--his maiden century in Australia. Australia responded strongly with 511, gaining a 177-run lead thanks to several half-centuries, including a top score of 77 from Mitchell Starc. England's second innings began positively but fell apart as Australia's bowlers--Scott Boland, Michael Neser, and Starc--regularly struck, bowling them out for 241 despite a fighting 50 from Ben Stokes.

McCullum said the team was "trying too hard," which affected their execution. Despite having a good first-innings score, they failed to capitalise at a crucial moment, bowling poorly and not applying enough pressure.

"We were trying too hard, was my assessment of it, to be honest. I think we identified that we had a reasonable score with the bat in the first innings and we knew that there was quite a pivotal moment in the game if we were able to strike. Sometimes when you do try too hard, you miss your execution, you tighten up and you're not able to apply the pressure. And I mean, we're honest with ourselves. We bowled terribly in that period," McCullum said.

McCullum said the team had weaknesses in batting, bowling and fielding, all of which need to be improved over the next nine days.

"There was areas with the bat we were deficient, there was areas with the ball we were deficient, and there was areas in the field we were deficient. Now, areas we've all got to tidy up in the next nine days," he said.

England will lock horns against Australia in the third Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, beginning on December 17. (ANI)

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