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Brendon McCullum loathed the label Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he block out external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful display.

Based on McCullum's comments after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.