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The England head coach loathed the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as reductive and maybe foreseeing how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, 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 take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he claims to block out outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and no guarantee, as shown by England having played 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, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, apt solution to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, 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 – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.