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The England head coach loathed the label Bazball from its inception, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as national coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he claims to ignore external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the patience or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Based on the coach's words after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar 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 the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, giving him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.