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Brendon McCullum despised the label Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it reductive and maybe foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head 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 outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, 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. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. 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 results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat 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 virtuoso display.

Based on McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith 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 trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.