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Brendon McCullum loathed the label Bazball from its inception, considering it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if results do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as McCullum says he ignore external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and no guarantee, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

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 bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Selection Dilemmas

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 key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Based on McCullum's comments after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional match environment 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 victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.