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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, deeming it reductive and perhaps anticipating 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 contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While he claims to block out outside criticism, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – 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 intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, 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 decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the persistence or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen form decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Based on the coach's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional Test setting 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 discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.