🔗 Share this article

Brendon McCullum detested the term Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and maybe foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as national coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he claims to block out outside criticism, he will 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 rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of focus was expended before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Team Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on the coach's comments after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative 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 middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

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