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Brendon McCullum detested the term Bazball from its inception, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However the coach has not helped himself either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum says he block out outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, 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 trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash 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 Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, apt solution to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, handing him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some 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, none of this is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.