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Brendon McCullum detested the label Bazball from its inception, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, 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 increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing 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 instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations 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 bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Team Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Going by the coach's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, 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 series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.