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The England head coach loathed the label Bazball since it was coined, deeming it reductive and perhaps anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence 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 petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While 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 not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to 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 "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with 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 more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area 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 bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. 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 an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact 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, giving him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.