Why McCullum isn't bothered by potential sacking

England coach Brendon McCullum has acknowledged that his side has not been anywhere near its best this series as they begin their preparation for the Third Test.  

The visitors are yet again staring down the barrel of another Ashes loss on Australian soil, having lost in Perth and Brisbane by eight wickets to go 2-nil down.

With this deficit, history is not on England’s side, with only one side in Ashes history (Australia - 1936/37) being able to come back from this point to still win the urn.

Speaking at a press conference in Adelaide, the former New Zealand cricketer noted that while it has become harder, there is still plenty of belief amongst his team they can win the series.

“The fact that we’re 2-0 down, we’ve made it harder on ourselves,” he said in his press conference.

“But it doesn’t stop the belief you have within the dressing room.

“I don’t think we’ve been anywhere near our best so far in these last two Tests, and whilst the margins look huge in terms of the scoreboard, I think we certainly had our moments…where we could have been a lot better, and we may have been able to put ourselves in a strong winning position.

“But what’s been (has) been. For us now, it’s not a matter of fighting the war that’s been, it's about focusing on the one that’s coming.”

These results have created more pressure surrounding McCullum’s tenure as head coach, with some suggestions that this next Test could be his last should they lose.

But the Kiwi has admitted that he wasn’t bothered by the possibility of being sacked if they were to lose the series in Adelaide, believing his BazBall game plan can give England their best chance of winning a Test match in Australia for the first time since 2011.

“I don’t know, but it doesn’t really bother me, to be honest,” he explained.

“I mean, professional sport, it’s not easy, right? You do the job to the best of your ability.

“You have conviction in what you’re doing and whatever happens, happens.

“I coach to get the best of people, and that’s the same with the skipper. We both go about that with the same way, with the same level of conviction, and that won’t be changed this week just because the prize is at its highest.

“We’ll remain committed to what we’re doing in the same way we do, and we’ll keep trying to build the confidence levels within the group to give ourselves the best chance.

"I firmly believe if we play our best cricket, we’re a massive chance in this Test match.”

He also addressed his comment surrounding England having over-prepared for the second Test, explaining that the intense net sessions prior to the match had left his side ill-prepared for the conditions at the Gabba.

“Working the hardest doesn’t guarantee you success, working the longest doesn’t guarantee you success,” McCullum declared.

“What I meant by us being overprepared is we had five intense training sessions where, in my opinion, we left ourselves a fraction short in terms of our energy and our ability to play what was in front of us, which on that wicket required a different game to necessarily what you trained in the nets.

“You have to think on your feet, you have to be able to maneuver your game, you have to be able to identify risk, you have to work out how to apply pressure, put it back on based on the surface and the conditions you're confronted with.

“If you overprepare or you overtrain based on how many balls you hit on a true surface, it can leave you a little bit ill-prepared in that moment.”

McCullum has confirmed that England’s starting XI for the Third Test will be worked out over the next 24 hours.

That Test match will begin on December 17 at the Adelaide Oval with England looking to keep the series alive.

SEN will have LIVE coverage of every ball bowled throughout the series on its radio network and on the SEN app.