England chooses to prioritise Noosa break over meetings with AFL premier Brisbane Lions

AFL premiers Brisbane and England had been linked up ahead of the Ashes. But Robert Craddock reveals the Poms snubbed any advice the back-to-back champs could have given them on how to win.

England’s cricket team has chosen the sun and sand of Noosa ahead of the chance to learn from one of Australia’s best sporting sides with a stunning snub of the Brisbane Lions.

An English firm was the conduit in linking the English tourists with the AFL premiers in the hope officials from both outfits could meet in Brisbane.

The Lions received an email on October 23 from English Cricket performance director Ed Barney saying: that the team was in Brisbane from December 2 to 12 and that it would be great to spend time together with the leadership, science and medical teams.

But the plan went downhill from there, and no English official attended two conference calls set up to discuss the matter.

England’s team management in Noosa were adamant they knew nothing about the plan.

Ben Stokes and England snubbed the Brisbane Lions. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images.

The Lions have won back-to-back AFL premierships. Picture Lachie Millard

Another time was set for another meeting but the English again did not join the conference call and have not been heard from since.

Lions officials have been left scratching their heads and assume the meeting is off.

It’s a shame because the tourists, at the very least, could have had the chance to see and touch something they don’t get their hands on very often – trophies – as the Lions have won the past two AFL premierships.

The story of how Chris Fagan rebuilt the Lions from wooden spooners to double premiers is one that any team official could learn from.

England’s four-day mid-tour break in Noosa before next week’s second Test in Adelaide remains the centre of much debate.

Some former players felt it was a justifiable move yet other felt the optics of it after two Test losses were poor.

“I don’t think I’d be going to Noosa,’’ former England player and coach David Lloyd told BBC Sport.

England players Mark Wood and Ben Duckett slip slop slap at Noosa on Wednesday. Picture Lachie Millard

“I’m a bit old-school, it’d be naughty boy nets. There are definite consequences to this. There always has been, there always will be. There will be consequences and those start with those in charge.”

Former Test captain Nasser Hussain had similar thoughts in The Athletic.

“I can’t understand England’s schedule for the week ahead,’’ he wrote.

“Yes, I can appreciate why they had only one game against their Lions before the first Test as there were rounds of domestic state matches going on in Australia when they arrived from New Zealand.

“And, OK, maybe you don’t send your players to Canberra to play against the Prime Minister’s XI after the first Test because conditions there are clearly so different to those in Brisbane.

“But now England will be going into the third Test without playing a single warm-up game against Australian opposition, and that is beyond me.

“Stokes is not the first captain to come to Australia and struggle – and he won’t be the last. History tells you it’s a hugely difficult place to win and this England team are finding that out themselves in the toughest way imaginable. Stokes and McCullum have tried a different way of doing things, but it’s just not paying off at the moment.’’

Originally published as England chooses to prioritise Noosa break over meetings with AFL premier Brisbane Lions