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Brendon McCullum loathed the label Bazball from its inception, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. 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, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to shake off the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England look likely 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 unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this 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.