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Brendon McCullum detested the label Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be weaponised down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It could become 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 he claims to ignore external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on the coach's comments after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.