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The England head coach detested the label Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum says he block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the instance he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Team Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Going by the coach's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the series win 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 picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.