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Brendon McCullum detested the moniker Bazball from its inception, viewing it as reductive and maybe anticipating how it could be weaponised in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he says he block out 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 enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of focus was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

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 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. No bowler has shown the patience or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Going by McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.