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Brendon McCullum detested the moniker Bazball from its inception, considering it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum claims to ignore outside criticism, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (with no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Team Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.