England Men's Cricket Team

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Head coach Brendon McCullum says England's ODI series defeat by New Zealand will not have any bearing on the Ashes.

England lost 3-0 to the Black Caps, with their batting coming under scrutiny. White-ball captain Harry Brook scored England's only century and led the way with 175 runs but Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith only scored a combined 58 runs, with a high score of 25.

McCullum, however, doesn't believe there will be any hangover heading into the first Test on 21 November and says his side have a "level of confidence" in their batting in Australian conditions.

"It's a different form of the game, and it's a completely different kind of challenge which we'll be confronted with as well," McCullum said.

"In T20 cricket, we're going really well. I think in Test cricket, we've got a pretty good template of where we're at and I think we've performed reasonably well, albeit we've got a huge challenge in front of us. One-day cricket is clearly an area where we need to improve.

"I think when we do come across the trickier conditions in Australia and Test cricket, I feel like we've got a pretty good understanding of how we'll go about it. It doesn't guarantee us anything, but it gives us a level of confidence going into that series."

McCullum also addressed the form and fitness of Jofra Archer, who bowled 20 overs across the final two ODIs, taking three wickets.

"He'd done a lot of skill work as well as fitness work, and for him to get through two matches with his full quota of overs and build towards what's coming in the next couple of weeks is a big bonus," he added.

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Wicketkeeper Alex Carey has shrugged off Stuart Broad's comments that the current Australia team is the worst since 2010-11.

Former England paceman Broad was responding to ex-Australia batter David Warner's prediction England would lose the upcoming series down under 4-0.

England's last triumph in Australia was in 2010-2011.

However, they have suffered heavy defeats of 5-0, 4-0 and 4-0 in their three trips to Australia since.

"You wouldn't be outlandish in thinking - it's actually not an opinion, it's a fact - it's probably the worst Australian team since 2010 when England last won, and it's the best English team since 2010," Broad told the For the Love of Cricket podcast on BBC Sounds.

However, Carey urged his former Ashes sparring partner to "wait and see", with the first Test beginning on 21 November in Perth.

"We've got a really experienced cricket team who have had a lot of success over the last five years under Pat Cummins," said Carey.

"To win a World Test Championship, to retain the Ashes over there, and to make another World Test Championship final last year was pretty good recognition for the success that this team has had.

"All the guys have played against Stuart in the past and we know how big a competitor he is and how much he's done for Test cricket.

"When you see players transition into the media, they're absolutely open to their opinions and the playing group doesn't hold any comments against anyone."

England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick believes bowler-friendly pitches would help the tourists during this winter's Ashes in Australia.

Steve Smith, who will captain Australia in the first Test in the injured Pat Cummins' absence, had suggested that challenging batting conditions would benefit the hosts.

However, Trescothick pointed to Harry Brook's brilliant century in the first one-day international against New Zealand on Saturday as an example of England's attacking approach enabling them to quickly change the feel of an innings.

"When ball is dominating the bat, then to try to be aggressive and put pressure on is something that we do really well," Trescothick said, ahead of Wednesday's second ODI in Hamilton.

"I think Harry's biggest strength is probably his bravery and his attitude to be in that situation and trying to be aggressive. To be able to make it happen in the fashion he does, it changes games.

"I don't have a problem with (Australia producing bowler-friendly pitches) because it obviously makes for quicker games and entertaining cricket, which kind of suits us."

Trescothick also insisted Joe Root will not be fazed by the focus on his record in Australia, where he is yet to score a century and averages 35.68, compared to 51.29 across his Test career.

"His record speaks for itself," Trescothick added. "He's a wonderful player in all formats and in all countries around the world that he's played."

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Former England bowler Steven Finn believes the team have their best chance of winning an Ashes tour since their most recent series victory down under in 2010-11.

Finn played on that tour but England have not even won a Test on their past three trips to Australia, with their last series victory coming at home in 2015.

However, the team has a different mentality under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, who was appointed in 2022.

"I think this is England's best chance in 15 years to win the Ashes [in Australia]," Finn told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport. "I don't think they'll allow themselves to be bullied the way that has happened in the last few series that England have sent teams down there. I'm very optimistic about England's chances."

In 2010, England ensured they would retain the Ashes by winning the fourth Test by an innings and 157 runs, before adding the fifth Test to seal a 3-1 series victory.

"For all of the sniping and the pre-series stuff that goes on, [the Australian public] respect people who try hard, who puff their chest out and don't get pushed over when the Australians puff at them," Finn added.

"I don't see this England team going down timidly or meekly, which I think the Australian public will respect.

"In 2010-11, the tide turned on Australia - I reckon [on] the morning of day two of the fourth Test, when we bowled out Australia for 98. We were miles ahead of the game.

"The Australians turned on themselves and it felt like we had everyone in the ground supporting us. You felt that when you walked down the street people were stopping you and saying 'we respect how you're playing your cricket and we love it'.

"That is England's task - to do that early enough in the series to turn the tide on Australia."

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England's all-time leading Test run-scorer Joe Root says he is concentrating on being "mentally focused" in his preparations for the Ashes.

Root said his approach is "different to how I would have done 10 years ago", with him no longer concentrating as much on adapting his technique for the Australian conditions.

Root is yet to score a century in Australia and averages 35.68 in 27 innings in the country.

"I've played against a lot of their guys, I know how they operate, I know what they're likely to try to bring to the series," said Root.

"I used to be very technical in how I prepared. I'd want to make sure that everything felt lined up and my feet were in the right place, my head position was correct. But I'm a lot more mentally focused."

The series begins in Perth on 21 November, with England looking to regain the Ashes for the first time since they won in Australia in 2015.

Root captained England on their last Test trip to Australia, where they suffered a crushing 4-0 loss, and stepped down from the role a few months later following defeat in the Caribbean.

"Now I'm a bit more concerned about how I'm looking at the game; how I'm going to approach different situations, whether that be the surface, whether that be different bowler types, different angles, being able to manage those different angles when they come wide of the crease, things like that," said 34-year-old Root.

"So it's just having a look at the likely make-up of their squad, the different threats that they may pose and then being clear on how I want to counter that."