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Brendon McCullum detested the label Bazball from its inception, deeming it reductive and perhaps anticipating how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he says he ignore outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. 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 limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (with no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

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 – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional approach was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, apt solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past 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 most recent matches.

Player Focus and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Based on McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.