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

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not improve.

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

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

The Question of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the lethargy that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Selection Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on the coach's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.