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The England head coach despised the term Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as reductive and maybe foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series 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 defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he ignore outside criticism, 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 necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the persistence or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional approach was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Based on the coach's words 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 match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.