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Brendon McCullum detested the term Bazball since it was coined, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as McCullum says he block out external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – 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 teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Selection Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar 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 shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

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