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Brendon McCullum despised the label Bazball from its inception, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he claims to ignore outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the patience or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit approach was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, apt solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.