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The England head coach despised the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum says he block out outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. 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 different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful display.

Going by McCullum's words in the aftermath, 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 unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.