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The England head coach detested the label Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not improve.

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

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Selection Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.