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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball from its inception, viewing it as reductive and perhaps anticipating how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he says he ignore external noise, he will have been acutely 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 train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, apt solution to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Selection Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.