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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised down the line. 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 contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as McCullum says he ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his belief that less is more. It meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Going by the coach's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.