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Brendon McCullum detested the label Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum says he ignore external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks 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 limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his belief that less is more. It meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, apt solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful display.

Based on the coach's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.