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The England head coach despised the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as reductive and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But 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 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he block out external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, 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 trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was freeing during its initial year, an effective, apt remedy to shake off the torpor that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, 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 opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful performance.

Based on McCullum's comments after the match, England look likely 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 trampoline surface 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 shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

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