A glum-looking England side has arrived in Melbourne ahead of this week’s Boxing Day Test.
Pressure is mounting on Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes after the tourists suffered one of the fastest Ashes defeats on record, with England going 3-0 down inside just 11 days.
In contrast, Pat Cummins and his Australian side have been lapping up the celebrations overnight following the 82-run win in Adelaide.
While some members of the Aussie squad also jetted to Melbourne on Monday ahead of the third Test, it appears the celebrations have still been going for South Australian Travis Head, who had revealed he was planning a 48-hour Ashes party in the wake of the third Test.
‘Yep a good night, very much enjoyed,’ the Aussie batsman told Channel 9, as he was seen arriving at the Penfolds Bar in Adelaide on Monday.
‘I think the boys did well. There will be a few tired heads this morning on the flight.’
A glum-looking England side has arrived in Melbourne ahead of this week’s Boxing Day Test (Pictured: Ben Stokes)
It came after Brendon McCullum (left) and his side suffered one of the fastest Ashes defeats in history, going 3-0 down to Australia inside 11 days
The Egnland stars cut forlorn figures after suffering an 82-run defeat by Australia at The Adelaide Oval (Pictured right: Joe Root)
For England, Scrutiny has followed the team since they arrived Down Under, with multiple former greats, including Michael Vaughan, Ian Botham and Geoffrey Boycott, questioning McCullum’s team’s preparations for the series.
Ahead of the tour, there had been high hopes that England could finally snap their 14-year wait to win an Ashes series Down Under. Instead, England have again underperformed, having now gone 18 Tests without a win on Aussie soil.
Even Head and Cummins had thrown a barb at Stuart Broad during their celebrations on Sunday night after the former pace bowler had claimed that England were coming up against the worst Australian side in 10 years.
Head published an image of himself and Cummins on Instagram, enjoying a few drinks, while adding the caption: ‘Is it 2010 yet?’
Bazball is now firmly in the spotlight. England’s brash and aggressive brand of cricket has been exposed in Australia, with the Bazballers having been outdone in every facet of the game by Pat Cummins’ Australia side.
Granted, England had shown signs that they were changing their style of play to dig in at the crease for longer in Adelaide. But what makes this defeat more damning for England is that Australia have been without their star man, Cummins, for most of the series, while pace bowler Josh Hazlewood has also been absent from the first three Tests.
Captain Stokes cut a frustrated figure as he arrived at Melbourne Airport.
The England all-rounder gritted his lips firmly as he walked through the arrivals lounge.
Ollie Pope (left) who has struggled for runs during the series was seen being asked for his photo by one fan
Brydon Carse (left) and Zak Crawley (right) were also among those who were seen arriving in Melbourne
‘That dream that we came here with is now over, which is obviously incredibly disappointing,’ a forlorn Stokes (pictured) said following England’s defeat in Adelaide
Matthew Potts (pictured) was also seen arriving with the side. Potts is yet to play in the series
Some family members were also seen arriving alongside the England players, including Root’s partner Carrie
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‘That dream that we came here with is now over, which is obviously incredibly disappointing,’ a forlorn Stokes said following England’s defeat in Adelaide.
He added: ‘We came here with a goal in mind and we’ve not been able to achieve that. It hurts and it sucks, but we’re not going to stop.’
Other players, including Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith and Joe Root, were seen walking through the airport with their families.
McCullum folded his arms and delivered a stern look as he joined the group pacing through the arrivals lounge before the team headed outside to jump on a coach to their hotel.
During this tour, England have raised eyebrows for some of their antics away from the cricket pitch. They were initially spotted playing golf in Perth before and in the immediate aftermath of their two-day defeat in the first Test.
The Bazballers were then seen enjoying a pre-planned mid-series break in Noosa following their eight-wicket defeat at The Gabba. The side were seen enjoying a few drinks as well as a kick about on the beach. But in the wake of the third Test, the BBC has claimed that England’s players had been out drinking for six days after the second Test.
The ECB declined to comment to Daily Mail when contacted about the claim.
That revelation came after the embattled England coach had admitted on Sunday that he felt his side had gotten their preparation wrong, despite claiming in the wake of his side’s defeat at The Gabba that the tourists had bizarrely been ‘overprepared’ for the second Ashes Test at The Gabba.
Travis Head (pictured) has continued Australia’s celebrations after they went 3-0 up in the series
Aussie batter Travis Head (pictured next to captain Pat Cummins) didn’t miss the chance to take aim at Broad’s prediction
Usman Khawaja (pictured) took a shot at ‘Bazball’ after Australia took the third Test
Bazball appears to have also become a joke among some of the Australian players, with the team donning white T-shirts with an image of their coach Andrew McDonald on the front, holding a cricket bat.
McDonald is affectionately known as ‘Ronald’ among some of the Aussie players, a nod to the fictional mascot of the McDonald’s fast food chain, Ronald McDonald.
On the T-shirts, the Aussies had printed the word ‘Ronball’, a jibe at England’s brand of cricket.
‘It’s an inside gag that went out pretty quickly,’ Head told Channel 9, speaking on the Ronball shirts.
‘It came out of the boxes and was put on Instagram a few minutes later.
‘I think Ron put it perfectly last night that if no one is safe in the group, then it’s a healthy environment.
‘To win an Ashes at home is incredible and to do it here in Adelaide, and to do it is incredible. Yeah we enjoyed last night and now we have two more Test matches to go.
While Australia have been celebrating their dominance, with this being the fourth consecutive time the Aussies have won an Ashes series in straight sets on home soil, there appears to be an air of disappointment among some over the lack of contest.
Aussie fast bowling great Glenn McGrath has insisted that England’s defeat was not down to their players lacking quality, rather, he believes the tourists’ mentality has not been right and was vastly different to those of their Australian counterparts..
‘It’s all about getting sledged in the airport, or in restaurants. England players talk about having to take on the entire country, rather than just the Australia team. There is so much discussion about the conditions in Australia – the pitches and the heat,’ McGrath wrote in his column for the BBC.
He reflected on what it was like to play as an Australian on an Ashes tour of England.
‘Yes, we know it is difficult. The crowds can be hostile and the Barmy Army are pretty good when it comes to sledging with witty songs,’ McGrath said.
‘Alongside that difficulty are some of the most enjoyable times to be a cricketer for Australia. As a bowler, I loved getting the Dukes ball in my hand. It was always so special to play at Lord’s. I would relish a tour to England.
‘Can England players get themselves into the state of mind where they relish a tour of Australia, rather than talking it up as the hardest thing they will ever do?’
England now face the tough task of salvaging something back from this series, starting at the MCG on Friday.
