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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as reductive and maybe anticipating how it could 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 Australian jokes.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as England head coach if results do not improve.

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

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of focus was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and no guarantee, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing 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 – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's unconventional approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen results taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Team Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.