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Brendon McCullum loathed the label Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it reductive and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if performances do not improve.

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

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared 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 Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, as shown by 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 unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares 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 batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by the coach's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

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 active middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a similar role 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 broader philosophy into the spotlight.