In the run-up to the second Test, England chose not to send players from the first Test to join a day-night England Lions game against a Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.

The tourists instead opted for five days of training in Brisbane which, in the aftermath of the Gabba defeat, McCullum claimed left them “overprepared”.

On Sunday, the former New Zealand captain said he stood by his comments, but also explained he made them to draw attention away from the players.

“There’s things that you say and things that you do – in the job you’re in, sometimes it’s better for the scrutiny to be on yourself,” said McCullum.

“There is no perfect preparation. If there was and you could hit 4,000 balls to guarantee an average of 90, or bowl however many balls to guarantee 10 wickets, then we’ll do it – don’t worry. But that doesn’t exist.

“Five intense days leading up to a Test match is not the best way to prepare. We’ll be working out these next three days to make sure we get ourselves in the right frame of mind and skill level to be able to perform.”

England returned to training on Sunday following a break in the Queensland resort town of Noosa.

Their approach has often attracted criticism, in particular their off-field activities during this tour.

On Sunday they began their training session with intense fielding drills, which have been uncommon for England under Stokes and McCullum.

“I do feel like there’s a feeling that we go about our work in a very casual manner, but it couldn’t be further from the truth,” added McCullum.

“The level of intensity with which we try to operate with and the hard edge we try to bring to the team, is all encompassing. It’s how we try to live our lives and set about this cricket team.”