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Brendon McCullum loathed the moniker Bazball since it was coined, deeming it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if results do not improve.

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

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, 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 Debate of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Selection Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Going by McCullum's words after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his more natural home 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 an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.