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Brendon McCullum loathed the label Bazball since it was coined, 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 began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence 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 risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to ignore external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the persistence or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar 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 moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, handing him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. 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.

Ultimately, none of this is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.