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The England head coach despised the term Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, trailing 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 defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he ignore outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss 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 prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the persistence or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, apt solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Team Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on the coach's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.