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The England head coach detested the term Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if results do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he block out external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt solution to eradicate the torpor that came before. The disappointment now stems from 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.

Player Focus and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's comments after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, giving him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

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