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

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to block out outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his conviction 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 cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games 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 domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens 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 – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the persistence or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.