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The England head coach despised the term Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as reductive and maybe anticipating how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While he claims to block out external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. 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 to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While nets are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the persistence or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on 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 triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe 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 expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.