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Brendon McCullum detested the label Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be weaponised down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he claims to block out outside criticism, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit approach was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, 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 opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Going by McCullum's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.