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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it reductive and perhaps anticipating how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After 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 akin to trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

The coach'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 significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, 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 leaderless. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline 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 has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by McCullum's comments 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 traditional Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

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 more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.