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Brendon McCullum detested the term Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph 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 outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a significant amount of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so 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 without a spearhead. None has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Going by McCullum's comments after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.