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The England head coach detested the moniker Bazball from its inception, deeming it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it might be weaponised in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. 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, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (with no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's unconventional approach was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past 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, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Based on the coach's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.