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The England head coach despised the label Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it reductive and perhaps anticipating how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as McCullum claims to block out outside criticism, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of focus was expended before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens 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 bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt solution to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Going by McCullum's words after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.