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The England head coach detested the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he claims to block out external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling 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 practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (with uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

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 been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Selection Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, 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, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on the coach's words 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 match environment triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.