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Brendon McCullum detested the label Bazball from its inception, considering it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has not helped himself either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, 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 epitaph as national coach if results do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he says he ignore external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as always, 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 to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown 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 remedy to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful display.

Going by McCullum's words 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 traditional Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.