England have left their Ashes break in Noosa and will resume training on Sunday before the crucial third Test in Adelaide. The tourists, who must win at the Adelaide Oval to keep their hopes of regaining the urn alive, flew from Brisbane on Saturday.

England spent four nights in the beach town of Noosa, a trip that was planned well ahead of the series and not altered despite defeats in the opening two Tests. Captain Ben Stokes' men attracted plenty of attention during their time on the Sunshine Coast. They were pictured in bars, playing golf and on the beach.

The England squad were happy to interact with locals and media alike - Stokes even posed with two radio presenters dressed in full whites carrying signs that read: "For sale - moral victories" and "Bazballers anonymous - free counselling". Australian newspapers have paid close attention to England's downtime.

The Brisbane Courier Mail claimed England are "not even trying anymore", the Advertiser from Adelaide labelled the tourists "rub a dub duds" and Sydney's Daily Telegraph carried the headline "Surfed and Turfed".

Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie told ABC radio: "The tourism commission will be licking their lips. It's been Noosa, Noosa, Noosa. There's been a lot of criticism about the England team having a break. I don't have a problem with it. I think it's absolutely fair and reasonable."

England's decision to take the break in Noosa has continued the debate around their preparation and training on the tour of Australia. Billed as a huge opportunity for England to earn a rare win down under and the most anticipated Ashes for a generation, this series is at risk of being over at the earliest opportunity.

Defeat in the second Test in Brisbane extended England's winless run in Australia to 17 Tests, dating back to their last series win here in 2010-11. If they do not win in Adelaide, this will be the fourth consecutive Ashes down under that the destination of the urn will have been settled inside three matches.

England were criticised for playing only one warm-up match before the first Test - a three-day match against the second-string England Lions. The decision not to send any players from the first Test XI to join a Lions pink-ball match against the Prime Minister's XI in Canberra also came under scrutiny.

England instead opted for five days of training before the second Test, which head coach Brendon McCullum claimed left them "overprepared" for the defeat at the Gabba. "Where questioning comes of England is choosing not to get practice in Canberra under lights against the PM's XI, then training in Brisbane and they lost that game," said Gillespie.

"The messaging out of the England camp could have been better. Saying 'we've overprepared' for a Test - everyone would argue no. They had a great opportunity to prepare under lights with a pink ball and they chose not to because they felt it would not simulate conditions in Brisbane. "Where was that excuse before the first Test in Perth, when they played on a low, slow wicket at Lilac Hill before a fast, bouncy wicket at Perth Stadium? The contradictory messaging coming out of the England camp has opened them up for criticism."

McCullum is due to speak to the media on Sunday as England begin three days of training before the third Test starts on Wednesday (23:30 GMT on Tuesday). England's Sunday training session could provide clues to possible changes to their XI for the first red-ball Ashes Test in Adelaide since 2013 - the two since then have been day-night matches played with a pink ball.

A freshen up of the pace attack seems likely, with Josh Tongue replacing Gus Atkinson as one option. With spin likely to play a role in Adelaide, England have a decision to make over Shoaib Bashir. Bashir has been overlooked for the first two Tests while England opted for the all-round skills of Will Jacks in Brisbane, albeit with Stokes maintaining Bashir remains the number one spinner.

Bashir has been backed by England with this series in mind, yet has struggled so far, picking up two wickets in his two tour matches. Whoever the tourists pick, they will have a significant experience disadvantage compared to Australia veteran Nathan Lyon, himself due to return after being left out in Brisbane.

The visitors may also ponder replacing Ollie Pope at number three. Pope's position has been a long-term source of scrutiny since Jacob Bethell made his Test debut in New Zealand a year ago. Pope's highest score in this series is 46. He had played 14 innings against Australia without passing 50.

Though Bethell's career has stalled since that New Zealand tour - the 22-year-old is still to make a first-class century - he made 71 for the Lions against Australia A last weekend. Despite their 2-0 lead, Australia will also make changes for Adelaide. Captain Pat Cummins will return after missing the first two Tests with a back injury.

To make room for Cummins and Lyon, the hosts look likely to omit Brendan Doggett, then one of his fellow seamers - Scott Boland or Michael Neser. Australia must also decide on opener Usman Khawaja, who missed the second Test with a back injury. Travis Head and Jake Weatherald have formed a promising partnership in his absence.

If Khawaja does return, it would likely be at the expense of batter Josh Inglis, though Australia could leave both men out in favour of all-rounder Beau Webster in order to provide cover for the returning Cummins.