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Brendon McCullum detested the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it reductive and perhaps anticipating how it might be weaponised in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he block out outside criticism, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a significant amount of focus was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (with no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen form decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Selection Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Based on the coach's comments after the match, England look likely to persist 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 bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.