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Brendon McCullum despised the term Bazball from its inception, considering it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum 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 day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum says he block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus 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 leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was liberating during its initial year, an effective, apt remedy to shake off the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Selection Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful performance.

Based on 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 switch to a traditional match environment triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across 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, giving him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.