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The England head coach detested the moniker Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (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 more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Selection Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Going by the coach's words after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

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