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The England head coach despised the term Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as McCullum says he ignore outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Selection Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Going by the coach's words after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional match environment triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.