England coach accepts lack of preparation could have led to Ashes humiliation

The home team wrapped up the series with an 82-run victory in Adelaide which gave them an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series with two Test matches still to play.

The result followed Australia's eight-wicket wins in Perth and Brisbane, with the first Test only lasting two days before the tourists succumbed.

England only played one warm-up game before the series, against their own Lions development squad, with former players and pundits questioning how ready the team would be.

McCullum said after the defeat at the Adelaide Oval: "I know that that'll be something that's questioned. When you've lost 3-0, you've got to put your hand up and say, 'maybe I didn't get that preparation right'.

"Ultimately you are responsible for how you get your side ready and how you prepare them.

"I had conviction, we had conviction in our methods in terms of preparation, not just leading into the first Test but also in between Tests.

"I look back now and think, did we need more leading into the first and did we need less leading into the second? They are the changes over time you look back on and say would I do it differently?

"Retrospectively, we lost 3-0 so you would probably say there was room for change there. Again, you put your hand up as a coach and say you might not have got that right.

"At the same time I felt it would give us our best chance because it has previously. Sitting here 3-0, it didn't work."

McCullum explained that he believed England's determination to do well and high expectations actually ultimately "constrained" their ability to succeed.

"We had such high expectations and hopes for this series that we just almost, it just constrained us a little bit. So, we weren't able to deal with it," the former New Zealand skipper said.