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The England head coach loathed the label Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum claims to block out outside criticism, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

McCullum'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 focus was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (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 disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic 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. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Selection Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Going by McCullum's words after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active 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 Will Jacks could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.