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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, considering it overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While he claims to ignore external noise, he will have been acutely 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. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While nets are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (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 valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None 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 torpor that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Going by McCullum's words after the match, England appear set 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 bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, giving him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

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