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Brendon McCullum detested the label Bazball from its inception, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if results do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum claims to block out external noise, 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 opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the persistence or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional approach was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.