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The England head coach despised the label Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum claims to ignore outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he blinked in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios 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 – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, apt solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Selection Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on McCullum's comments after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a traditional match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

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