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England vs Australia 2nd Ashes Test: England's head coach Brendon McCullum has denied claims that his team was under-prepared for the Ashes, giving a bizarre reason that his team trained ‘too much’ in the lead-up to the second Test as the reason for his side's defeat.

England's Ashes hopes have been dealt a significant blow after suffering back-to-back eight-wicket defeats to Australia in the ongoing Ashes series.

McCullum revealed that his team had prepared "too much", with five extreme training days leaving them lacking freshness.

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“Leading into this Test match, I felt like we overprepared, to be honest. We had five intense training days and sometimes the most important thing is to feel fresh and make sure your headspace is completely sound," McCullum told Australia’s Seven Network.

England's Ashes hopes hang by a thread, with McCullum announcing a tactical shift.

“I think the boys just need a few days off. We will let the dust settle on what has been a pretty intense last couple of weeks and start to plot and plan our way back into the series," McCullum said.

“You can’t come to this country and start sulking and feeling sorry for yourself if things haven’t worked out. You can’t have a glass jaw when you tour Australia. You’ve got to stand up and go again," he said.

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Captain Ben Stokes' gritty half-century and 96-run partnership with Will Jacks gave England a brief respite, but eventually the side ended up facing a crushing eight-wicket defeat to Australia in Brisbane.

“When you know it’s not down to skill, you’ve got to dig a little deeper and find out what it is that we keep doing in those pressure moments. Australia keep outdoing us in those moments," Stokes said.

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