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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum says he ignore external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation 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 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 fortress. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful display.

Based on McCullum's words 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 traditional Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.