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Brendon McCullum loathed the moniker Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. 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. None has demonstrated the persistence or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Based on McCullum's comments after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.