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Brendon McCullum detested the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum claims to block out external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he blinked in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and no guarantee, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the persistence or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's unconventional 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 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 Spotlight and Selection Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Based on the coach's comments after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a traditional Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.