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Brendon McCullum despised the label Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

McCullum'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 meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations 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 without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the persistence or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, apt solution to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration 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 results taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on the coach's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, giving him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions recently, 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 better fundamentals having shattered expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.