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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he claims to block out outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he blinked in his conviction that less is more. 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 opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the persistence or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt solution to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by the coach's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a traditional match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.