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Brendon McCullum detested the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as reductive and maybe anticipating how it might be weaponised in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he says he block out outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. 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, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.