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The England head coach detested the label Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he block out outside criticism, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink 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 belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While nets are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit approach was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, apt solution to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format 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 preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. 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.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.