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

But the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum says he block out outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help 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 persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.