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Brendon McCullum detested the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he wavered in his belief that less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the persistence or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The frustration 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 Selection Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Going by the coach's words 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 triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, handing him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.