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Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball from its inception, considering it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he claims to ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Team Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on the coach's comments after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a traditional Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.