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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball since it was coined, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, apt remedy to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Based on the coach's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – 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.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.