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Brendon McCullum despised the term Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However McCullum 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 akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if results do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum claims to block out outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional approach was freeing during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Going by the coach's words after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.