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Brendon McCullum detested the moniker Bazball since it was coined, considering it overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it might be weaponised down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as England head coach if results do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he block out external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area 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 shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, apt solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Based on the coach's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.