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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, considering it overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it might be weaponised down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

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

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as McCullum says he ignore outside criticism, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While nets are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen form taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Going by the coach's words after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment unleashes 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 discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.