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Brendon McCullum despised the label Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum says he block out outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While nets are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the persistence or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional approach was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Going by McCullum's words after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.