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The England head coach loathed the label Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he ignore external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

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

The Question of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (and no guarantee, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have thus 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. None has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, apt solution to eradicate 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 second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful display.

Based on the coach's words after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across 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 fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.