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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum claims to block out outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Team Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, 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 produced a masterful performance.

Going by the coach's words after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some 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 perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.