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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

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

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen results decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Going by the coach's comments after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a traditional match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.