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Brendon McCullum loathed the label Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he claims to ignore outside criticism, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (and no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.