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Brendon McCullum despised the label Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While he claims to ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to 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 different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he blinked in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its initial year, an effective, apt solution to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Selection Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Based on the coach's words after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a traditional match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.