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The England head coach loathed the label Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum claims to block out external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf 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 ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, 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 counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Based on McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.