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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball since it was coined, considering it reductive and maybe anticipating how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national 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 block out outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, 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 shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

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