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Brendon McCullum loathed the moniker Bazball from its inception, deeming it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he claims to block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, 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 did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (with uncertain value, 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 valuable experience more broadly, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens 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 – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the persistence or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, apt solution to shake off the lethargy that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that point – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Going by McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a traditional match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.