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Brendon McCullum despised the label Bazball from its inception, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While he claims to block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" 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 focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While nets are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the persistence or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on McCullum's comments after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.