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The England head coach despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as McCullum says he ignore outside criticism, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was freeing during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly 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 last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Based on the coach's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

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

In the end, none of this is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.