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Brendon McCullum detested the term Bazball from its inception, viewing it as reductive and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has not helped himself either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While he says he ignore external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he blinked in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing prepares 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 bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the persistence or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, apt solution to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Team Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's words in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

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