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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, considering it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While he says he block out outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he wavered in his conviction 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 fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area 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 attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its initial year, an effective, apt solution to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.