McCullum warns against 'knee-jerk reactions' to England batting line-up

England look set to retain the same batting line-up for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide after head coach Brendon McCullum gave their top seven his strong backing, warning against "knee-jerk reactions" after going 2-0 down to Australia.

England have been bowled out for 172, 164, 334 and 241 across the first two Tests, and only one of their batters - Joe Root - is averaging more than 30. Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith have both found their positions under scrutiny after failing to contribute in Brisbane, with Jacob Bethell waiting in the wings as the spare batter.

But McCullum said that England will stick with the players who have formed their first-choice top seven for the last 18 months, and argued that conditions at Adelaide Oval will suit England more than the pace and bounce they encountered in Perth and Brisbane. He also insisted that he is not bothered by speculation about his future as England's head coach.

"I wouldn't have thought so," McCullum said before England's training session in Adelaide on Sunday, when asked if they would consider making changes to the top seven.

"From our point of view, we've had a top seven now for a period of time and we've been reasonably successful with it. These conditions should suit the style of batters that we've got as well. We know we haven't got enough runs so far in this series. We've been in positions where we could have and made some mistakes, and that can happen at times.

"But for us to go on and win this series, it's not about throwing out what has been successful for us over the last few years. It's about having more conviction. It's about making sure we have our plans and our disciplines around it just screwed down a touch more; making sure when we walk out there, we have utter belief in what we are capable of achieving.

"Knee-jerk reactions, and chopping and changing settled batting line-ups, is not really our way."

England will consider making changes to their seam attack, with Josh Tongue under consideration to feature for the first time in the series, and have a decision to make over the identity of their spinner. Ben Stokes described Shoaib Bashir as England's "best, number one spinner" last week, but Will Jacks' all-round performance in Brisbane could see him retained.

McCullum - who said he had fronted up to pre-match media duties to "protect my players" - conceded that England need to "recalibrate" aspects of their gameplan but warned that without conviction in their attacking approach, the current 2-0 scoreline could quickly spiral into a series whitewash.

"We came with high hopes, and at the moment we are not living up to it," he said. "It's not [about] throwing out what's been successful in the past, it's making sure we drill down on a couple of areas where we can be successful, which will give us the best chance.

"If we win this game after what's been a long nine days, with lots of different narratives being talked about, if we find a way to be at our best and win this game, then I think things shift about a bit. That's what's in front of us in the coming days: hold the fort and keep moving towards the target.

"We know we haven't been at our best. You have to admit that. You can't walk away and start pointing fingers elsewhere. [You have to ask] how do you remain tight as a group, and what do you need to do to be successful in the conditions and situation you are coming up against, then get out there and have another go.

"You do that, and you give yourself a chance. If you don't, 2-0 can become 5-0 real quick, and that hasn't worked for anyone."

McCullum signed a new contract with the ECB last year which runs until the end of 2027 but a series whitewash would heighten scrutiny over his future in the role. "It doesn't really bother me, to be honest," he said. "I certainly don't coach to protect the job; I coach to get the best out of people, and that's the same with the skipper [Stokes].

"We'll remain committed to what we're doing in the same way that we do, and we'll keep trying to build the confidence levels within the group to give ourselves the best chance. I firmly believe that if we play our best cricket, we are a massive chance in this Test match. If we do that, then the narrative changes and the series momentum changes."

England arrived in Adelaide on Saturday after a mid-series break in Noosa, the Queensland holiday resort, but their travel was overshadowed by a minor altercation between a member of their security detail and a Channel 7 cameraman at Brisbane Airport. The incident reflected the intense scrutiny that England's movements have been under over the past month.

"We have a security team that is trying to protect the players," McCullum told the BBC. He added: "I feel we've managed ourselves pretty well throughout this tour. I thought the boys were outstanding over the last week. They've been engaging with a lot of locals and everyone was in good spirits. There was some good banter flying both ways."

McCullum's claim that England had "over-prepared" for the second Test has been examined in great detail over the last week, but he argued that the trip to Noosa has left his players fresh ahead of three training days in Adelaide. "That's the idea," he said.

"Noosa was excellent. It was planned a year ago, and for us, it was quite an important period where we could, not step away from the game, but just give ourselves a chance to allow some of the lessons we've learned over the last couple of weeks to settle and to recalibrate a little bit; spend some time away from the heat of battle, and just try and spend a bit of time together.

"I think now the freshness which we're coming into this Test with will hopefully pay off. There's no guarantees, but that's the plan. The boys are excited to get back to training, and look forward to the next few days of prep leading into this Test."