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The England head coach loathed the label Bazball from its inception, viewing it as reductive and maybe anticipating how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to ignore external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Going by McCullum's comments after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman 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. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

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