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Brendon McCullum loathed the term Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and maybe anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum claims to ignore outside criticism, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, 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 unavailable (with uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have thus far fallen well short. 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. None has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Based on McCullum's comments after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series 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 gloves, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

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