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Brendon McCullum loathed the label Bazball from its inception, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as McCullum claims to block out external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone 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 bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, 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 counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Going by 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 return to a more familiar match environment triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.