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NEW DELHI: The architects of England’s Bazball revolution, which was meant to take them to the top of Test cricket, have admitted that their preparation for the Ashes was not quite right. That said, the aggressive strategy is not going to be abandoned.

Arriving in Australia with high expectations, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes were determined to implement their attack at all costs approach in cricket’s oldest rivalry.

However, with only one warm up match, an internal trial against a second string England side, the plan quickly ran into trouble.

Leaning on a pragmatic and traditional style backed by experience in Australian conditions, Australia retained the Ashes on Sunday with two matches still to play.

“Retrospectively, we lost 3-0 so you would probably say there was room for change there,” McCullum told British broadcaster TNT Sport when reflecting on the build up. “You put your hand up as a coach and say you might not have got that right.”

Break and reflection

After England suffered heavy defeats in the first two Tests, McCullum felt the squad had trained too hard between Perth and Brisbane. The players were then given time off in Noosa, one of Australia’s most popular beach resorts.

The break did bring some improvement with England lasting until Day 5 of a Test for the first time on the tour in Adelaide.

McCullum had been building towards the Ashes for years but is still yet to end England’s long wait for a series win in Australia which stretches back to 2011.

“We came here with high hopes, high ambitions and lofty goals,” he said. “And we have been outplayed across three test matches.”

Adjusting Bazball

Bazball was effectively put on hold late in Brisbane when Stokes played a cautious hand in an attempt to save the day night Test. In Adelaide, over the final two days, England’s batters showed greater grit, choosing to occupy the crease rather than attack relentlessly.

“The last two days have been our best cricket, and that's because we have just played,” McCullum said. “The previous nine days, we were so caught up and so driven to achieve something and succeed that we have almost got in our own way and we have stymied our talent and our skill and our ability.”

McCullum acknowledged there were lessons to be learned from the third Test.

“There is a lesson not just for the players. There is a lesson for the coach and the coaching staff,” he said. “Preparation, that will be something that is questioned.

“But we do have a great opportunity in the next two tests. We need to find something out of this tour. We need to play for pride.”

England’s bowling attack has struggled to find consistent line and length on Australia’s hard and bouncy pitches. At the top of the order, batters have given away starts with poor shot selection, often attacking when conditions required defense. Dropped catches have also hurt the side while Australia’s fielding has been sharp.

Persisting with the strategy

Under Stokes and McCullum, known as Baz, England embraced an entertaining brand of Test cricket that turned around the team’s fortunes but has divided opinion.

McCullum admitted that some players had drifted away from the plan under pressure.

“I did think we were rock hard in our belief of the style we were going to play when we came down here, knowing that we were going to be challenged,” he said, “but I do think we got a little bit stuck.”

Stokes insisted there would be no effort to restrict players’ natural instincts.

“You never want to take away their ability to go out and score their runs in the way they feel is best going to suit them,” the England captain said. “But then, marrying the skills and the ability that they have with the mentality that it takes to be successful as an international sportsman.

“You put those two together and I know that we have got a very, very exciting test team.”

(With AP Inputs)