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Brendon McCullum detested the term Bazball from its inception, considering it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it might 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 mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It could become 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 must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

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

The Question of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus 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 without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt solution to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – 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.

Player Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

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

Based on 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 match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test 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 preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.