🔗 Share this article

The England head coach detested the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like 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 commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum claims to ignore outside criticism, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area 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 attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, apt solution to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Team Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Based on the coach's comments after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope 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 an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.