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Brendon McCullum detested the label Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum claims to block out outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents 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 Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

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). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area 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 patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on McCullum's comments after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.