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Brendon McCullum loathed the label Bazball since it was coined, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

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

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in seeing 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 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 intensity of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Team Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, 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. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful display.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.