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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball from its inception, considering it reductive and maybe foreseeing how it could be weaponised 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 Australian jokes.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy 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 ignore outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's unconventional approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

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