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The England head coach detested the label Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was used up 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.

Fixtures 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 county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its initial year, an effective, apt solution to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a traditional match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.