Ahead of the final Ashes in Australia, the Covid-affected 2021-22 series, performance director Mo Bobat sat down with the BBC in a podcast series to discuss England's preparations in detail.
Nutritionists, analysts and medical staff were all interviewed to describe the lengths England went to to ensure it was ready.
However, England decided to omit Broad and James Anderson from the first Test with a Brisbane green-top just so they would be fit for the second Test with the pink ball. If this was part of the planning, it all seemed pointless. Obsessing over the future has cost England. They lost the first test clearly and the series 0-4.
When Stokes and McCullum took charge of this team in 2022, they righted the wrongs of the previous government. They immediately declared that they would choose the best team for the upcoming game.
What was impressive about this first summer of Bazball was the intuition of the thought process and the presence of the players. “Live where your feet are,” we heard her say. The result was some of the most exciting cricket we have ever seen from an England team.
I firmly believe England can compete and win against Australia with this style of play, but it would be best if we all focused on the immediate future, starting with New Zealand in Christchurch next week.
The Black Caps will be optimistic after their historic win in India. If England look past them and look across the Tasman Sea with their minds, they will come home from New Zealand in a worse place to win the Ashes than when they started.
Momentum is built by winning game after game, test after test, one after the other. If England can regain that mindset they will have the best chance of beating the Australian team, who will be something of a Dad's Army next winter as their time together comes to an end.
Imagine how great an England victory in Australia would be. I wouldn't like anything more. If we can all manage to obsess about it less, it's more likely to happen.
