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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be weaponised in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to 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 commitment to the bit. As much as he claims to block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (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 county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was liberating during its initial year, an effective, apt solution to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.