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The England head coach loathed the moniker Bazball since it was coined, deeming it reductive and perhaps 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 become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum says he ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. 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, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness 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 belief that less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's unconventional approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, apt remedy to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen form taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Selection Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.