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Brendon McCullum detested the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it might be weaponised down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

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

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he blinked in his belief that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

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

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the persistence or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, apt solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist 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 unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.