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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it might 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 mockery from Australia.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to block out outside criticism, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional approach was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, apt solution to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Team Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Based on the coach'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 switch to a more familiar Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.