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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, considering it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he block out outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his conviction 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 iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the persistence or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit approach was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful performance.

Based on McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his best, 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 series win in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.