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Brendon McCullum despised the term Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match 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. While McCullum says he ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, 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, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While nets are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash 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 unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, 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 decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen results decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Selection 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 opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by the coach's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.