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Brendon McCullum despised the term Bazball from its inception, considering it reductive and maybe anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he block out external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

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

The Question of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of focus was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. 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 congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

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 – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.