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Brendon McCullum loathed the label Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While he says he block out outside criticism, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider England having played 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 wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Team Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful display.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, 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 fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.