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Brendon McCullum loathed the label Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as reductive and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he ignore external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Team Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Going by McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, handing him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.