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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, 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, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, apt solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.