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The England head coach loathed the label Bazball since it was coined, deeming it reductive and perhaps anticipating how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he claims to ignore outside criticism, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

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

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.