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Brendon McCullum despised the term Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt 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' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to ignore external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time 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 Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness 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 belief that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's unconventional approach was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the lethargy that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, giving him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.