🔗 Share this article

The England head coach despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, considering it reductive and maybe foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum says he ignore outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question 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 belief that less is more. It meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Team Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.