🔗 Share this article

Brendon McCullum loathed the term Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has not helped himself either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if results do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he block out external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. 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 seeing conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt solution to shake off the torpor 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 decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Based on the coach's words after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, giving him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.