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The England head coach detested the term Bazball from its inception, considering it reductive and maybe anticipating how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-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 improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum claims to block out outside criticism, he will have been all too 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 scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with 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 county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, 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 attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on the coach's comments 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 traditional Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell 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, these changes is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.