Brendon McCullum insisted speculation surrounding his position "doesn't really bother" him, despite England's poor start to the Ashes.

The tourists must win the third Test in Adelaide, which begins on Wednesday, to keep the series alive, following heavy defeats in Perth and Brisbane.

McCullum and captain Ben Stokes are contracted until the end of the 2027 Ashes series, but both have come under scrutiny following England's display in Australia.

Nevertheless, coach McCullum does not believe defeat in Adelaide would put his position under pressure.

"I don't know, but it doesn't really bother me, to be honest," he said. "I certainly don't coach to protect the job. I coach to get the best out of people and that's the same with the skipper.

Australia take a 2-0 lead in the series. pic.twitter.com/DO0IeRo64O

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"We both go about that in our same way, with the same level of conviction, and that won't be changing this week just because the prize is at its highest.

"I firmly believe that if we play our best cricket, we have a massive chance in this Test match. If we do that, then the narrative changes and the series momentum changes."

McCullum also said he is likely to stick with the same batting line-up, and would look to avoid any "knee-jerk reactions" or "chopping and changing".

"I would have thought so," he said when asked if he would stick to his guns.

"We've been in positions where we have made some mistakes, and that can happen at times. But for us to go on and win this series, it's not about throwing out what has been successful for us over the last few years. It's about having more conviction.

"Knee-jerk reactions and chopping and changing settled batting line-ups is not really our way."