Following their loss in the pink-ball Test at the Gabba, Ben Stokes and the England squad briefly traveled to Noosa for some downtime, but they were unable to escape the scrutiny of the Australian media.
Australian media cracks whip at England team for Noosa break
The team had recently suffered an eight-wicket defeat in the Brisbane match, despite showing only brief moments of resistance. On December 9, the England squad was spotted enjoying a couple of days off-field in the Sunshine Coast resort town before they shift their focus to the third Test. Captain Stokes was photographed walking on the beach in shorts and willingly posed for pictures with fans. According to reports from the Australian media, opener Zak Crawley and several of the fast bowlers were seen relaxing with a beer, attempting to take their minds off their dreadful start to the series.
Ben Stokes & Co's beach pics go viral
These scenes of relaxation, however, are likely to raise concerns among cricket pundits, especially given how thoroughly England have been outplayed by their arch-rivals in the first two Tests. For instance, former captain Michael Vaughan has already expressed disappointment that the England players chose not to participate in the two-day pink-ball warm-up match in Canberra before the contest in Brisbane.
Despite the criticisms, England coach Brendan McCullum defended his team's preparation, claiming that they were actually overprepared for the second Test, even without having played a prior practice game. However, this assertion did little to stem the tide of criticism from the Australian media.
Australia’s tabloids thoroughly enjoyed reporting on England’s mid-tour break to the coastal town of Noosa, Queensland. They dedicated prominent space to publishing shirtless photographs of Ben Stokes, accompanying them with mocking captions. Headlines included the sarcastic jibe, "On back foot, England bails to the beach," while another stated, "Life’s a beach, even for the sinking Poms."
'Having a Bazball at Noosa!'
A third headline delivered an additional taunt: "Sun’s out, runs out," printed next to a picture highlighting Stokes’s tattooed arms.
The Courier Mail in Brisbane further escalated the coverage with a front-page teaser boldly proclaiming, "Having a Bazball at Noosa!" This was conspicuously positioned near features on Jamie Oliver's Christmas ham and a report about Australia's forthcoming ban on social media for under-16s. Inside the newspaper, a two-page spread described the English side as "wounded" but noted that even their beach holiday wasn't completely free of cricket; one photo showed Stokes walking directly behind a child who was carrying a bat.
England's significant struggles on the field have only amplified this intense media spotlight. Back-to-back losses—a two-day defeat in Perth followed by an eight-wicket loss in Brisbane—have left them trailing 2-0 in the series. With only matches in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney remaining, the team faces the daunting task of winning all three remaining Tests to have any chance of reclaiming the Ashes.
I can’t understand England’s schedule for the week ahead: Nasser Hussain
It wasn't just the Australian media that voiced displeasure over England's preparations leading up to the Adelaide Test. Former England captain Nasser Hussain also expressed his surprise and concern. He stated that he was taken aback that the England squad was proceeding into the crucial match without having played a single practice game beforehand.
“I can’t understand England’s schedule for the week ahead. Yes, I can appreciate why they had only one game against their Lions before the first Test, as there were rounds of domestic state matches going on in Australia when they arrived from New Zealand,” Hussain wrote in his column for The Athletic.
“And, OK, maybe you don’t send your players to Canberra to play against the Prime Minister’s XI after the first Test because conditions there are clearly so different to those in Brisbane. But now England will be going into the third Test without playing a single warm-up game against Australian opposition, and that is beyond me,” he added.