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Brendon McCullum despised the label Bazball from its inception, considering it reductive and maybe anticipating how it might be weaponised down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum says he block out external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

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

The Question of Preparation and Practice

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 meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides 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 valuable experience in general, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional approach was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful performance.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to implement 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 busy middle order player, giving him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.