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The England head coach despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, deeming it reductive and maybe anticipating 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 turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While he says he ignore outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given 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 "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations 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 shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful performance.

Based on the coach's comments after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional match environment triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, giving him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.