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The England head coach despised the label Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it reductive and maybe anticipating how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum claims to block out outside criticism, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While nets are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.