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Brendon McCullum despised the label Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. 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 dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum says he ignore outside criticism, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his belief that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the patience or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Going by McCullum's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.