On Wednesday all England players and staff gathered on the beach to play ‘pig’ – the football game they often play in the warm-up for training and matchdays. They then moved into the town centre for a fish-and-chip lunch.
The break is Noosa was planned before the Ashes series began and was arranged in conjunction with Cricket Australia.
One alternative to this trip would have been arriving in Adelaide well ahead of the third Test.
The three days of training before the third Test is in keeping with England’s usual preparation for a Test. The tourists had five days of training before the defeat in Brisbane, which McCullum said left them “overprepared”.
During the last Ashes in the UK in 2023, Australia’s players took a break in the middle of the series, with some travelling to various cities across Europe.
Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who spent his downtime in Edinburgh during the 2023 series, said it is “not new” for a team on tour to move away from cricket between Tests.
“It’s a pretty big series – there is a lot of time in between games,” he said. “For the Australian cricket team, we get to go home for a few days and be with the families.
“For touring parties, you’ve got to find time to fill in those little windows, and Noosa’s not too far from Brisbane.
“The Ashes is a very hotly contested contest and you don’t want to be thinking cricket every single day of the tour. If you do have a little break, it’s probably not a bad time to refresh the batteries.
“Our boys played a bit of golf. I’m probably watching Netflix or taking the fishing rod away if I can.
“It’s not new stuff that the English guys are doing, having a little break.”