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The England head coach despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, considering it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

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

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, apt solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on the coach's words after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.