🔗 Share this article

Brendon McCullum despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and maybe anticipating how it could be weaponised in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While he claims to ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was liberating during its initial year, an effective, apt solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful performance.

Based on McCullum's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.