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Brendon McCullum despised the label Bazball since it was coined, considering it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be weaponised in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However the coach 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 day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

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

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by the coach's comments after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

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