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The England head coach despised the label Bazball from its inception, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy 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 McCullum claims to block out outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he wavered in his belief 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 stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen form taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Based on the coach's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional match environment unleashes his best, 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 victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving the batsman down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.