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Brendon McCullum detested the term Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. 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. As much as he claims to block out external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling 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. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was expended 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 work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful display.

Going by McCullum's comments after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.