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Brendon McCullum loathed the label Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as reductive and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised in the future. Currently, trailing 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 not helped himself either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum claims to block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

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 – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, handing him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

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