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Brendon McCullum loathed the label Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he block out outside criticism, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's unconventional approach was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Based on the coach's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope 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 recently, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.