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Brendon McCullum loathed the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While he says he block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Team Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's comments after the match, 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 top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

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