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Brendon McCullum loathed the term Bazball from its inception, deeming it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he blinked 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 cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash 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 wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, apt solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on the coach's words in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional match environment triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format 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 No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.