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The England head coach loathed the moniker Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps 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 gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he says he ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Based on McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.