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The England head coach detested the label Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be weaponised in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, 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 epitaph as England head coach if performances 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 acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he blinked in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies 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 so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

One such player 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. The situation is not aided 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 hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return 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 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 middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.