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The England head coach despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, considering it reductive 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.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

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

The Question of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing 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, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond 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.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on the coach's comments after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

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