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Brendon McCullum detested the term Bazball from its inception, considering it reductive and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

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

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he wavered in his belief that less is more. It meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight 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 disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

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 comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, handing him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.