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The England head coach loathed the moniker Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it might be weaponised in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While he claims to block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games 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 dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful performance.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.