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Brendon McCullum detested the label Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and maybe anticipating how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But McCullum 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 pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Going by McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a traditional Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface 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 shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.