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Brendon McCullum detested the term Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started 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 anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to 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.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as McCullum claims to block out external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's unconventional approach was freeing during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Team Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by the coach's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

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