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Brendon McCullum despised the label Bazball from its inception, considering it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens 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 bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen form taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Based on McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, giving him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.