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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it might be weaponised in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if performances do not improve.

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

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of focus was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that point – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Going by McCullum's words after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.