Speaking to the media in Adelaide on Monday, England coach Brendon McCullum said his squad remains confident their best is good enough to overcome a 2-0 deficit after losing the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane.
“It doesn't stop the belief that you have within the dressing room," McCullum said.
“We know we've got a couple of gears left in us if we can find them... I don't think we've been anywhere near our best so far in these last two Tests.”
McCullum, who took over as England head coach in 2022, pointed to Australia's tactical nous and ability to adapt on the fly as the difference in the series so far.
He conceded that England has been too slow to respond to both the conditions and the plans Australia have used.
“Australia are a tough, resourceful team. They switch plans quickly,” McCullum said.
“They buy into those plans quickly, and we've probably been a little bit slow to do so.
“We need to be quicker to adapt to the conditions and the plans Australia send down to us.”
Eyebrows were raised in a recent press conference where McCullum claimed England were "over-prepared." However, the New Zealander explained that the squad may have trained too much in the lead-up, leaving them mentally flat for the first test.
"It's not about working the hardest. Working the hardest doesn't guarantee you success," McCullum said.
"What I meant by us being over-prepared is we had five intense training sessions... we left ourselves a fraction short in terms of our energy."
Quick Jofra Archer has been in the spotlight after his poor start to the five-Test series. Archer has claimed just three wickets in the series and was involved in a heated on-field exchange with Australian stand-in captain Steve Smith in Brisbane.
McCullum defended Archer's impact, saying the fast bowler had “been really good” despite a lack of luck.
"If you mope around bowling 75mph in that last innings, then the narrative would be very different".
"It is impossible to bowl 150kmh every single time".
When quizzed about team selection for the third Test, McCullum indicated that speedster Josh Tongue was in the selection frame.
"He brings high pace. He hits the wicket hard from the fuller length. He can swing the ball, reverse swing the ball... he's a wicket taker," McCullum said.
"If that's what we deem is going to be most successful on that pitch, then he'll get a run."
While he hinted at a potential change to the bowling unit, the top seven are likely to remain unchanged.
"From our point of view, we've had a top seven now for a period of time, and we've been reasonably successful with it. These conditions should suit the style of batters that
we've got," McCullum said.
The third Test begins in Adelaide on Wednesday.
