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The England head coach loathed the label Bazball from its inception, considering it reductive and maybe anticipating how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he ignore external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing 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 Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, apt solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – 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.

Squad Focus and Selection Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful display.

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 in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and selecting 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, none of this is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.