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The England head coach despised the label Bazball from its inception, considering it reductive and maybe anticipating how it might be weaponised in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. After 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 like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he ignore outside criticism, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

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 leaderless. None has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, 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 expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.