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Brendon McCullum loathed the label Bazball since it was coined, deeming it reductive and maybe anticipating how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum says he block out outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

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. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Team Dilemmas

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

Based on the coach's comments after the match, 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 best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered 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, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.