'Definite consequences' to Noosa trip as greats rip England's preparation for Adelaide Test

Two-nil down in the Ashes after less than six days of cricket, England's decision to put away their playing kit to take a mini-break in the south Queensland resort town of Noosa has led to more criticism from former players.

The tourists' laid-back build-up to the series and shunning of practice matches has been viewed dimly by old-school players who queried whether the team was ready for a pink ball match before their eight-wicket thrashing by Australia at the Gabba.

Head coach Brendon McCullum conceded team management may indeed have got things wrong, but more for training too hard than too little.

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And they expect that will be remedied over two days in a long-planned break on the idyllic Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane.

However, images of the English team drinking beers and sunbaking in Noosa after the eight-wicket hammering in Brisbane has led to more noise about the team and how they approach each match.

"I don't think I'd be going to Noosa. I'm a bit old-school, it'd be naughty boy nets," former England player and coach David Lloyd told BBC Sport.

"There are definite consequences to this. There always has been, there always will be. There will be consequences and those start with those in charge."

Lloyd also pointed to selections, saying the tourists should have selected Nottinghamshire opener Haseeb Hameed, who is "absolutely belting the door down" for national honours.

Hameed scored 1,258 runs, including four centuries, at an average of 66.21 in leading his side to the County Championship title this year.

While former England skipper Nasser Hussain wrote in his column for The Athletic:

"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.

"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."

Having hit Western Australia's golf links before being beaten by eight wickets in Perth, England's enthusiasts had access to a selection of championship courses to play a round before a refreshing dip in the Pacific Ocean.

"We've got a couple days in Noosa so we can spend some time together more casually and let the dust settle on what has been a pretty intense couple of weeks and start to plot and plan our way back into the series," McCullum said after the Brisbane loss.

While the cricket has been tough, England players have enjoyed their down-time, with some taking e-scooters for a helmet-less ride through Brisbane streets.

England pace bowler Jofra Archer knows the value of good rest, having brought a pillow to the Gabba before day three.

Archer's nap-time may have been pushed back a bit when Mitchell Starc scored 77 and the Australian tail hung on for most of the day's play to rack up 511.

"There's a great saying that I know – are you going to 'train to train' or are you going to train to dominate?" said England captain Ben Stokes.

For the moment, all of the worries about England's batting, bowling and fielding can be put aside.

Questions such as: Whether Ollie Pope should, or even can, be a number three test batter, why Harry Brook continues to throw away his wicket and whether spinner Shoaib Bashir can even be considered for Adelaide after going wicketless for 115 runs in the England Lions match against Australia A in Brisbane.

England put down five catches in Australia's first innings at the Gabba. Post-match, Stokes wondered why England kept losing in the pressure moments to Australia.

The stakes will be high in Adelaide where England must win to keep the series alive.

England fans will wait and see whether the solution to managing pressure is all about decompressing after all.

"It's also very important that when you do get the opportunity you are able to go away and refresh your mind, because obviously in Adelaide we need to be physically and mentally very good," said Stokes.

- with Sacha Mirzabegian