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Brendon McCullum loathed the moniker Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out 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. While McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen form taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Team 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 as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Based on the coach's comments in the aftermath, 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 match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

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