Ashes humiliation makes England fix warm-up oversight: ‘There is a lot that was learned’

During the 2025-26 Ashes, Brendon McCullum, then Test coach too, had admitted to weak preparations in the lead-up to the series.

Going forward, warm-ups are going to be very important for the English cricket team.

Brendon McCullum (R) has a lot to prove. (Action Images via Reuters)

In the lead-up to the Ashes last year, they played just one warm-up and that too against their own tier two team, the English Lions, at Lilac Hill in conditions that were very different to those of the Perth Stadium, venue for the first Test. That they lost the Ashes 4-1 wasn’t a surprising result for many.

England are now making a trip to Australia again, but this time for white-ball cricket, for three ODIs and five T20Is from November 13 to December 02. And guess what? There is a warm-up in the lead-up to the ODI series, against a Western Australia XI on November 7. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is learning fast, isn’t it?

"There is a lot that was learned. You have to remember these decisions are taken so far ahead. The reality is in those decisions, mistakes were made, and we've corrected that now," said ECB chair Richard Thompson.

"These things are codified, and in an agreement, so we're not relying on goodwill. It can't be a situation where a board chair or CEO move on, and the goodwill falls away. It's important the Ashes has the best prep for both teams, the best wickets and the best facilities. That's something you will see going forward for both teams," he added.

Next year, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia are hosting the 50-overs World Cup. England’s white-ball coach Brendon McCullum, who was removed from his Test role after a 2-1 home defeat to New Zealand in the summer, believes at present the English ODI team doesn’t have much experience. What these warm-ups will do is give the team more opportunities to gain experience.

"Aside from Jos Buttler, Joe Root and Adil Rashid, there's not a lot of experience in that side. We're going to try and put on a smattering of warm-up games to try and get guys up to speed as quickly as we can," McCullum recently said.

England have not played any white-ball warm-up in six years. They have been scheduled to play 20 ODIs before they begin their campaign in the 2027 World Cup. Add a few warm-ups to these 20 matches, they have more opportunities – not just to get prepared for a series but also to hone their skills, having the larger picture in mind: the World Cup. One can’t help but admire them for acknowledging their mistake and fixing it in quick time.