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The England head coach detested the moniker Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before 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 improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum claims to block out external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time 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 ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides 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 domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here 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 bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the patience or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Team Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on the coach's words after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, handing him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.