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Brendon McCullum detested the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has not helped himself either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he claims to ignore external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with no guarantee, 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 worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, 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 opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Going by McCullum's comments after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.