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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it could be weaponised down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as McCullum says he block out outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks 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, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in 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 moment he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (with uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the persistence or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus 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 crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful display.

Going by the coach's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.