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The England head coach despised the term Bazball from its inception, viewing it as reductive and maybe anticipating how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results 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 will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, 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 did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, apt solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Selection Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.