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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the crushing defeat 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, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as McCullum says he block out outside criticism, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While nets are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and no guarantee, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, apt remedy to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's comments after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional match environment triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.