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The England head coach detested the moniker Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he ignore outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Based on the coach's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

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, handing him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.