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Brendon McCullum detested the moniker Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While he claims to ignore outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered 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 fortress. While net practice are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing 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 batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to shake off the lethargy that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on the coach's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.