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Brendon McCullum loathed the moniker Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and maybe anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he says he ignore outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much 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, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Selection Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on the coach's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

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