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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball from its inception, deeming it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum claims to block out outside criticism, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, 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, completing 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 Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that simply maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact 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, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.