'Don't have time for...': England coach defends the team's limited preparation for crucial Ashes series

England batting coach Marcus Trescothick is not worried about the side's limited preparation for the highly-important Ashes series against Australia. Notably, the Three Lions haven't competed in a Test match since the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against India that concluded in August.

England's lack of participation in Tests

They have instead competed in numerous white-ball series and their final preparation for the series will be a three-day match against the England Lions that will be held at the Optus stadium in Perth from November 13. Trescothick pointed out that the team has been involved in many net sessions and have been able to prepare well for the Ashes despite having many assignments in between. He further said that they get a good idea of the Perth pitch with the match against the England Lions.

“I think the way that these series are generally done, for us and for opposition teams with the volume of cricket that's played around the world these days, you don't have time for preparations like potentially playing two or three First Class games. It's the way of the modern game nowadays. We're very happy with what we're getting. We've had facilities here with the nets and the nets out in the middle and then we've got the preparation game here as well. We'll have three days of prep at Optus, just to get to used the pitches as we go along with that, and we'll go from there,” Tescothick was quoted as saying by The West Australian.

Botham not satisfied with England's preparation

Meanwhile, legendary England cricketer Ian Botham had recently slammed the team for their lack of preparation for the important assignment against Australia, remarking that they may face challenges on the Perth pitch that is generally known to favour the bowlers.

"It's not the way I would prepare. I think historically you have to acclimatise when you come down here. You've got to remember there's 24 million people down here, not 11. And you have to take that on board. The ball does seem to get to you quicker in Perth and the light's different. You've got the Fremantle Doctor; there's all kinds of things that go into the melting pot," Botham told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday.

ALSO READ: 'There are 24 million people down here, not 11...': England legend slams Ben Stokes & Co's preparations for The Ashes

Australia's squad for 1st Ashes Test: Steven Smith (capt), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.

England's squad for The Ashes: Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood.