BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Brendon McCullum figured out England's main problem after back-to-back eight-wicket losses to Australia in the Ashes: Overdoing it in training.
So, needing to win the last three tests of the series to reclaim the old urn — the symbol of the intense rivalry between England and its former colony — the England coach wants his squad to recharge and recover at one of Australia's premier beach resorts.
Click to Gallery
England's captain Ben Stokes, left, talks to England's Jofra Archer during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
England's captain Ben Stokes, left, and England's Will Jacks takes refreshment during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
England's captain Ben Stokes leaves the field after lost the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
England's captain Ben Stokes throws bat after loosing his wicket during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
In interviews with Australian and British broadcasters, McCullum spoke about the hostile conditions Down Under and said the biggest problem after the heavy series-opening loss in Perth was too much practice before the day-night test in Brisbane.
“Leading into this test match I felt like we overprepared, to be honest,” he told Australia's 7 network Sunday night after the eight-wicket loss at the Gabba. "We had five intense training days and I think sometimes when you’re in the heat of the battle, sometimes the most important thing is to feel a little bit fresh and make sure your (headspace) is completely sound.
“I think the boys just need a few days off. Need to change up the training methods a little bit. We’ll let the dust settle on what has been a pretty intense last couple of weeks and start to plot and plan our way back into the series.”
The third test starts Dec. 17 in Adelaide, where Australia needs only a draw to retain the Ashes.
Across the first two tests, England has forfeited strong positions with indisciplined bowling or poor shot selection from batters attempting to score needlessly quickly, and also dropped too many catches.
The coaching staff has been criticized for only organizing one tour game in Australia to warm up ahead of the series. Coaches and players have been criticized by an increasing number of ex-international players for pursuing the attack-at-all-costs mentality rather than adapting to the conditions or match situations.
McCullum's method is to keep looking forward.
“The message from the captain, the message from myself: You can’t come to this country and start sulking and feeling sorry for yourself if things haven’t worked out,” McCullum said. “You can’t have a glass jaw when you tour Australia. You’ve got to stand up and you’ve got to go again. You’ve got to wear a few on the way in and you’ve got to head toward the target.”
England hasn't won an Ashes test in Australia since winning the series in 2010-11. That's something head coach McCullum and captain Ben Stokes are determined to fix.
Stokes knuckled down Sunday with a defiant half-century and a 96-run partnership with allrounder Will Jacks, reverting to a conventional test cricket approach that gave England a glimmer of hope and delayed Australia's victory.
Stokes said the England squad has the talent and skill to win in Australia, but just needs to work out how to be better than Australia in the most intense moments.
“When you know it’s not down to skill, you’ve probably got to dig a little deeper and find out what the thing is that we seem to keep doing in those big moments in the game,” Stokes said. “It just seems to be a constant theme at the moment that when the game is in a pressure moment, Australia keep outdoing us in those moments.”
The intense heat and light in Australia can be difficult for visiting teams, along with the extra bounce in the pitches that bake in the summer sun. The crowds at Ashes tests can be big and boistrous, and just as unrelenting as the sun.
“They say Australia isn’t a place for weak men — we’re definitely not weak but we need to find something because we’re 2-0 down and we’ve got three games to go,” Stokes said. “We’re not going to shy away from the battle that we’ve got in front of us (but) we do need to look at where things have gone wrong in these first two games and sort them out pretty quick if we want to get these Ashes back to England.”
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
England's captain Ben Stokes, left, talks to England's Jofra Archer during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
England's captain Ben Stokes, left, and England's Will Jacks takes refreshment during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
England's captain Ben Stokes leaves the field after lost the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
England's captain Ben Stokes throws bat after loosing his wicket during the second Ashes cricket test match between Australia and England in Brisbane, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025.. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
HONG KONG (AP) — About a third of Hong Kong 's registered voters elected a new 90-member legislature Sunday, a turnout that avoided an embarrassment for the government but fell short of a ringing endorsement of an electoral system revamp that eliminated the once feisty opposition in the Chinese territory.
The turnout rate reached 31.9%, surpassing the 30.2% in the 2021 election, the first held under the new system. It was much lower than before the electoral changes, when turnout topped 50%.
Many of the city’s 4.1 million eligible voters, especially democracy supporters, have turned away from politics since a crackdown that has stifled dissent. Candidates must now go through a vetting process that ensures they are patriots who are loyal to the Chinese government. The government says the changes were needed to bring stability after massive anti-government protests in 2019.
The government launched a major campaign to drive up turnout, adding polling stations, extending voting hours and holding candidate forums. But public anger over government accountability in an apartment fire that killed at least 159 people late last month threatened to keep some potential voters at home.
In the end, enough came out to nudge up the turnout rate from 2021, the lowest since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Ahead of the vote, Chinese authorities called foreign media to a rare meeting to warn them that they need to comply with the city's national security laws.
Election campaigning was suspended after the fire and remained subdued in the final days out of respect for the victims.
Government efforts to drive up turnout, seen as a referendum on the new electoral system, had been in full swing before the blaze. Promotional banners and posters were hung throughout the city and subsidies offered to centers for older people and people with disabilities to help them vote.
Authorities arrested people who allegedly posted content that incited others not to vote or cast invalid votes.
Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades has raised questions over government oversight and suspected bid-rigging in building maintenance projects. The 1980s-era apartment complex was undergoing renovations.
Some candidates pledged to combat bid-rigging.
City leader John Lee said in a statement on Monday that holding a smooth election during a difficult period for Hong Kong “carries profound significance," saying he expected the lawmakers would work with the government to drive systemic reforms following the fire.
Even before the 2021 electoral changes, only half of what had been a 70-member legislature was chosen by the general electorate.
Now, that has been reduced to 20 out of 90 seats and 40 others are chosen by a largely pro-Beijing election committee. The remaining 30 represent various groups — mainly major industries such as finance, health care and real estate — and are elected by their members.
The “patriots” requirement for all candidates has pushed out the opposition parties, which advocated for making the system more democratic.
“I’m performing my civic duty as a citizen to vote … but I’m not too certain which candidate is hardworking and which is not,” retiree Kwan Lam said outside a polling station. “I chose the one who cares for the elderly.”
Olympic fencing champion Vivian Kong on Monday won in the tourism sector, despite lacking industry experience.
The candidate pool seems to reflect Beijing's desire to have more lawmakers who are more in tune with its agenda, some observers said, in what they see as signs of Beijing’s tightening control even over its loyalists.
Lee has said that personnel changes are normal during an election. He criticized attempts to “distort” these changes to smear the new election system.
Ho-fung Hung, professor of political economy at Johns Hopkins University, said voter turnout was far lower than the 2016 election despite the vast resources the government had mobilized to boost turnout. The actual number of people who voted was also down from 2016 due to a shrinking electorate, he said.
The fire also contributed to the low turnout, Hung said.
“But it may work toward the government’s advantage, as they can blame the tragedy for the poor performance, or even say that the not-so-drastic drop in voting number despite the fire is an achievement,” he said.
John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong, said the election shows that the city remains polarized with pro-establishment and opposition camps.
“The fire ... played a role because it exposed various governance problems that no resident could be happy about," he said.
But Electoral Affairs Commission chairperson David Lok found it encouraging that 1.3 million people voted, saying the current atmosphere made holding the election difficult as many were affected by the blaze.
Beijing's office on Hong Kong affairs hailed the increase in turnout rate in a WeChat statement, saying it reflected Hong Kong society's support for the poll.
Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong summoned representatives of several foreign news outlets, including The Associated Press, on Saturday.
Some foreign media had spread false information and smeared the government's disaster relief efforts after the fire, as well as attacked and interfered with the legislative elections, the Office for Safeguarding National Security said in a statement.
“No media outlet may use ‘freedom of the press’ as a pretext to interfere in China’s internal affairs or Hong Kong affairs,” the statement said.
Authorities have warned the general public against using the fire to try to undermine the government and have arrested at least one person on suspicion of inciting hatred against government officials.
Moritsugu reported from Beijing. Associated Press writer Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
Gary Chan, candidates of the Legislative Council Election, center, campaigns on the street during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Gary Chan, candidates of the Legislative Council Election, center, campaigns on the street during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
People walk past a polling station near the site of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong's Chief Executive, John Lee casts his ballot at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
People read the candidates information at a polling station near the site of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee, poses for photos at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee speaks to the media at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee casts his ballot at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
People look at a candidate brochure of the Hong Kong Legislative Council General Election at a forum in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Pedestrians walk past the banner promoting the Hong Kong Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
