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Brendon McCullum detested the moniker Bazball from its inception, deeming it reductive and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he ignore outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to 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 different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the patience or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, apt remedy to shake off the lethargy that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Team Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful display.

Based on McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, handing him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.