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The England head coach despised the term Bazball from its inception, viewing it as reductive and perhaps anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

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

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of focus was expended before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider 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 unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was freeing during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful display.

Based on the coach's words after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a traditional Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his more natural home 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 over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.