England will snub the coming two-day practice match in Canberra, confirming not a single player who featured in the Perth Ashes loss will take part in the pink-ball clash.
Australia are 1-0 up in the five-Test series and have all the momentum after crushing England by eight wickets inside two days at Perth Stadium.
England’s batting implosions under the Bazball tactics were so worrying that some of the game’s greats urged the side to take part in the November 29-30 Canberra match, rather than sending in a second XI ‘England Lions’ side.
But England are sticking by their guns, revealing on Monday night that the only members from their wider Test squad who will play in Canberra against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI will be reserve batter Jacob Bethell and pace duo Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue.
All three players missed selection for Perth, and may not earn a spot for the day-night Test at the Gabba, which begins on December 4.
It means the Test XI who were crushed in Perth will instead fly straight to Brisbane and prepare by facing each other.
Before the decision was made, former captain Michael Vaughan said it would be “absolutely stupid” if England didn’t send their best players to Canberra for the two-day match.
Alastair Cook was another former England skipper who urged the side to jump at the chance to practise with the pink ball in match conditions.
But their pleas have fallen on deaf ears – which will likely fuel the criticism if England flop again in Brisbane.
The tourists were also widely criticised for their preparation for the first Test – playing just one three-day warm-up match against the England Lions on a flat Lilac Hill wicket.
The move proved costly, with England making just 172 and 164 on a far trickier Perth Stadium wicket.
England coach Brendon McCullum concedes his team’s ultra-aggressive tactics can have ugly consequences at times, but he’s urging fans to keep the faith despite the calamitous result in Perth.
“I’m pretty confident of the way we go about things,” McCullum said.
“The last few years we’ve built a set-up which is connected, it’s tight, and we play a style of cricket that we believe gives us our best chance.
“If we go away from that, then we’re in trouble.
“There’s no point trying to play for safety per se. We’ve just got to keep backing our approach and be strong, and keep believing in what we’re doing. That will give us the best chance to bounce back.”
McCullum is embracing the pressure that’s been directed his way.
“This is the fun stuff, right?” he said.
“When you’re under the bat and things haven’t quite worked out, that’s when your methods are tested at their best, when you’ve got to stay calm as a leader, keep plotting the path and the way forward, and eyes on the prize and try to block out some of the doubts and the insecurities that can creep in.
“Because if that does happen, you literally have no chance. That’s my belief as a coach and that’s the captain’s belief too.”
McCullum’s message to the fans was simple.
“I’d say keep the faith,” he said.
“We know what our best game is, what gives us our greatest opportunity.
“We’ve been in this situation before. We played South Africa and lost in two days that first Test and came back and won that series 2-1.
“Sometimes, we get beaten and it looks pretty ugly, but there are times when having that type of mentality allows us to be able to shift … allows us to still believe in our abilities when we step out to play.
“Just because we are one down in the series doesn’t change what we believe in. We have to stay calm, stay together, and plot our way back into this series, as we have done before.”
2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men’s Ashes
First Test: Australia won by eight wickets
Second Test: December 4-8, The Gabba, Brisbane (D/N), 3pm AEDT
Third Test: December 17-21: Adelaide Oval, 10:30am AEDT
Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10:30am AEDT
Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10:30am AEDT
Australia squad (first Test only): Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Mark Wood
