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The England head coach detested the term Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it reductive and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum claims to block out external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, 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, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with 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 worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

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 has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his best, 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 series win in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps 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 pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.