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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he claims to ignore 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 scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. 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 Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was liberating during its initial year, an effective, apt solution to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack 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

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful performance.

Based on the coach's comments in the aftermath, 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 in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.