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

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he claims to block out external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time 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 Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question 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 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 intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with no guarantee, as shown by England playing 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, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios 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 decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the patience or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Team Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home 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 over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.