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Brendon McCullum despised the label Bazball since it was coined, considering it reductive and perhaps anticipating how it might be weaponised down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he ignore outside criticism, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have thus 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 otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit approach was liberating during its initial year, an effective, apt remedy to shake off the lethargy that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Going by McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment 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 stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.