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The England head coach despised the term Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not improve.

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

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (with uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, apt remedy to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Team Dilemmas

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 opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Going by 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 more familiar Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.