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Brendon McCullum detested the term Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he says he block out outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the persistence or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit approach was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, apt solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Team Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.