Brendon McCullum defends ‘over-prepared’ comment, addresses England’s clash with Australian media

England head coach Brendon McCullum has opened up about his minor altercation with the team’s security guard and a cameraman at the airport ahead of the third Test of the Ashes 2025-26. McCullum also responded to his comments that the team had “over-prepared” for the recent Test match under floodlights in Brisbane.

According to reports, a cameraman of 7News was making a video of England players at Brisbane Airport. A member of the team’s security staff clashed with the cameraman. The footage shows the guard extending his hand to push the camera operator, and telling him not to “play smart” as he pushed him several metres.

I didn’t see the cameraman clash, but… – Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum was asked about the security guard’s clash with a Channel Seven cameraman at Brisbane Airport. McCullum praised his players for handling the spotlight and scrutiny with maturity. He felt that the group operated well throughout the tour.

“I didn’t see it (the clash between cameramen) but obviously it wasn’t ideal,” McCullum told reporters in Adelaide on Sunday afternoon.

He said, “Hopefully it’s been dealt with and everyone is able to move on. We know that coming to Australia, everything you do is under a lot of eyes and very intense scrutiny, and I think we’ve managed ourselves quite well throughout this tour.”

We had five intense training sessions – Brendon McCullum

Despite the extra day being available, England decided not to play a practice match with the pink ball. Brendon McCullum said that the team was indeed “over-prepared” after the Brisbane Test.

McCullum explained that the team took part in five heavy training sessions, which he felt drained their energy before the match. He pointed out that conditions under lights require instincts and quick adjustments rather than regular net practice, which is what he focused on.

McCullum added, “What I mean by us being over-prepared is that we had five intense training sessions where, in my opinion, we left ourselves a little bit behind in terms of our energy and ability to play what was in front of us.”

“On that wicket, it requires a completely different game to what you train for in the nets. You have to think on your feet, you have to be able to manipulate your game. If you over-prepare or over-train based on how many balls you have hit on the actual surface, it can make you a little more prepared in that moment.”

In this Test match, I felt as if we had over-prepared – Brendon McCullum.

England had a chance to get more pink-ball practice ahead of the Brisbane Test. They could play against the Prime Minister’s XI or use the extra days after the Perth Test. However, when the Lions were playing in Canberra, they decided to hold intensive net sessions at the Gabba.

Brendon McCullum said that the team may have worked too hard in training. The head coach said the players came into the match well-trained but not mentally fresh, which is often equally important in high-pressure situations.

“In this Test match I really felt like we over-prepared,” McCullum said after his team’s defeat in Brisbane. “When you’re in the heat of battle, as we all know, sometimes the most important thing is to feel a little fresh.

“I’m a racehorse, and you wouldn’t just keep doing the same thing with your horse, you’d send him into figure-eights or small jumps, just to try to turn him on a little bit. We’ll look at some alternative methods over the next few days.”

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