🔗 Share this article

Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball from its inception, deeming it reductive and maybe anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too 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 results do not improve.

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

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and no guarantee, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered 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 switch to a traditional Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.