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Brendon McCullum despised the term Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum says he ignore outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

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

The Debate of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant 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 chance to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash 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 Stagnation

Match practice alone 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 – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt solution to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, 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 display.

Going by McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

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