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The England head coach despised the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he ignore outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra 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 instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful display.

Going by the coach's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional match environment triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.