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Brendon McCullum loathed the moniker Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem 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 attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he claims to ignore outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he blinked in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's unconventional approach was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, apt remedy to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Based on McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across 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, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.