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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball from its inception, viewing it as reductive and perhaps anticipating how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While he says he ignore external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance 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 cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Team Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, 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 opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Going by the coach's comments after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, giving him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.