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Brendon McCullum loathed the label Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight 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 dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, apt solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Going by the coach's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

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

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.