The only smart thing the Poms seem to be doing right now is making sure they don’t get sunburnt.

After losing what appeared an unlosable Test in Perth and then falling to pieces as they were thrashed in Brisbane, the England team spent their second day in Noosa having fun in the sun.

Despite the squad being under intense scrutiny with their Bazball failures being eclipsed by how bad they bowled at the Gabba, they are not shying away and had plenty of time to take photos with fans at the beach on Wednesday.

The group did some skills practice with a soccer ball, playing keep-ups, and Jofra Archer even took a clean catch in the surf after the tourists let five chances go begging in Brisbane.

Archer, who was blasted by Channel Seven commentator Matthew Hayden for being pictured carrying a pillow to the Gabba, was sporting a designer bag from luxury label Goyard, which can retail from $3000-$5000, as he showed off his ripped physique.

Perhaps hoping to build some momentum in their stuttering Ashes campaign, Ben Stokes, Archer and Brydon Carse were all seen riding the waves on a picturesque day as the mercury reached a balmy 28 degrees.

Injured fast bowler Mark Wood was also still seen with the group despite his Ashes campaign coming to an end on Tuesday due to a knee injury.

Not even the announcement that Australian captain Pat Cummins would return for Adelaide seemed to put a dampener on their mood.

Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey took a subtle swipe at the ailing English, saying, “I think it’d be a nice holiday”.

“We’re in a pretty lucky position that we’re playing professional sport, and people want to follow the journey,” he said.

“If the media likes to follow certain teams around, that’s totally up to them to do. We understand that comes with the privilege of playing the game.”

The timing of their holiday after back-to-back eight-wicket defeats in Perth and Brisbane has come under intense scrutiny from former England legends, including Ian Botham and Geoffrey Boycott.

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

“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.

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

“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.’’

The views that this squad are not taking the Ashes seriously enough were further inflamed by their coach Brendan McCullum’s assertion that they were “overprepared” for the second Test.

However, Carey saw no issue with players unwinding between matches.

“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,” he said.

“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.”