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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball since it was coined, considering it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While he says he ignore external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training 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 expended before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

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

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the lethargy that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Going by the coach's words after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

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 busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.