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The England head coach detested the label Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat 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 bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While he says he block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider 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 valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the persistence or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was freeing during its initial year, an effective, apt remedy to shake off the lethargy that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful display.

Going by the coach's comments after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional match environment triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.