Former England seamer Darren Gough has blasted head coach Brendon McCullum for his 'overprepared' claim following a humbling defeat in the second Ashes 2025-26 Test at the Gabba in Brisbane. Gough took to X to respond to the former New Zealand captain's statement after the visitors went 2-0 down.England, who started the fourth day 43 runs behind, fought well, with Ben Stokes and Will Jacks stitching a dogged a 96-run partnership off 220 balls to push their side into the lead. But Jacks' wicket for 41 opened the floodgates and Australia restricted England's lead to only 64 in the end. Later, the hosts chased it down with eight wickets to spare to take a 2-0 series lead.Speaking to 7cricket after the second Test, McCullum felt five intense days of training meant the England players were probably not fresh enough in crucial moments. The 44-year-old claimed, as quoted by Sky Sports:"We will have a beer tonight. I think leading into this Test match I actually felt like we overprepared to be honest. We had five intense training days and sometimes when you are in the heat of the battle, the most important thing is to feel a little bit fresh and make sure your top two inches are completely sound. I think the boys just need a few days off and we probably need to change up a few of the training methods."In response, Gough wrote on X:"Over prepared my a*se."Notably, England have never come back from 0-2 to win an Ashes series."A dressing room that I am captain of is not a place for weak men either" - Ben Stokes warns EnglandBen Stokes' stubborn fifty in the second innings went in vain. (Credits: Getty)England captain Ben Stokes has questioned the mentality of the side and called for the players to step up in pressure moments. The all-rounder told BBC Test Match Special:"Do we need to start thinking about what mentality we are taking into those pressure moments? When we are on top we are great and when behind the game we are also very good but when that moment is neck and neck we are not coming out on top on enough occasions. There is a saying that we have said a lot here - Australia is not for weak men. A dressing room that I am captain of is not a place for weak men either."The third Test begins on December 17, in Adelaide.