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Brendon McCullum loathed the term Bazball from its inception, considering it reductive and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he says he block out external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and 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 more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, apt solution to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by McCullum's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.