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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball from its inception, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he claims to block out outside criticism, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with no guarantee, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's unconventional approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, apt solution to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses 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 both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful display.

Going by the coach's words after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional match environment triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, giving him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform 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 forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.