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Brendon McCullum despised the term Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it reductive and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, 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 insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was like trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if results do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful performance.

Going by the coach's words after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.