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

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, 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. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing 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 instance he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, when you consider England having played 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 in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings 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. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection 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 liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Team Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Going by the coach's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.