🔗 Share this article

Brendon McCullum detested the moniker Bazball from its inception, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, apt solution to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Team Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, giving him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.