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The England head coach detested the term Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as England head coach if results do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to block out outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks 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, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have thus far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the persistence or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, apt remedy to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful display.

Going by McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered 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. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.