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The England head coach loathed the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as reductive and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to 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, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While he claims to ignore outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he wavered 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 cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit approach was liberating during its initial year, an effective, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form 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, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's words in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.