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The England head coach detested the term Bazball from its inception, viewing it as reductive and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if results do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While he claims to block out outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before 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 changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so 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 leaderless. None has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Going by McCullum's words after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional match environment triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.