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Brendon McCullum despised the term Bazball from its inception, considering it reductive and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he says he block out outside criticism, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, apt remedy to shake off the lethargy that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful performance.

Based on McCullum's comments after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – 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 floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.