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Brendon McCullum detested the label Bazball from its inception, viewing it as reductive and maybe anticipating how it could be weaponised down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

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

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt solution to eradicate the torpor that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Team Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful performance.

Based on McCullum'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 return to a traditional Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, handing him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.