Australian wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey said England’s mid-series break in Noosa could help them, but cautioned Australia against relaxing despite the 2-0 lead in the Ashes. Carey said memories of the 2023 Ashes in England, when Australia were unable to win the series after leading 2-0, would keep his side alert.England reached Noosa, a resort town on the Queensland coast, on Tuesday for a four-night break. They are scheduled to train three times in Adelaide before the third Test.“I think it’d be a nice holiday. It’s a pretty big series, with lots of time between games. For the Australian cricket team, we get to go home for a few days and be with families, so touring parties have got to find time to fill in those little windows,” news agency ANI reported Carey as saying, citing ESPNcricinfo.“We know England are a very good team. We also understand we were in a position like this a couple of years ago in England. We weren’t able to win that series, but we were good enough to retain the Ashes. We’re really excited for the opportunity we’ve got, but we understand we’ve got to keep playing good cricket,” he added.Carey said it was England’s call how they used the break and felt stepping away from the game could help players reset. He said the Ashes demands balance and players cannot stay focused on cricket every day.“I’m not sure you need to do it [but] it’s totally up to the touring groups to find ways to take your mind off cricket for a little bit. The Ashes is very hotly contested. You don’t want to be thinking of cricket every single day of the tour. If you do have a little break, it’s probably not a bad time to refresh the batteries,” Carey said.England’s attacking batting approach did not work in the first two Tests. They suffered a two-day defeat in Perth in the opening Test, with Travis Head playing a key role. In the second Test, Joe Root scored a century, while Zak Crawley and captain Ben Stokes spent time at the crease.After conceding a 177-run first-innings lead with a total of 511, England could not recover. Apart from a 96-run partnership between Stokes and Will Jacks, they were bowled out for 241 in the third innings, leaving Australia a target of 65, which they chased comfortably.Australia have also received a boost ahead of the third Test, with captain Pat Cummins set to return in Adelaide after recovering from a back injury. The 32-year-old has not played international cricket since the third Test against West Indies in July.Australia lead the five-match series 2-0. The third Ashes Test will be played in Adelaide from December 17.
