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Brendon McCullum detested the label Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match 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 take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he blinked in his belief that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, giving him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.