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The England head coach loathed the label Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming 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. As much as he claims to block out external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (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 valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Selection Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Going by the coach's words after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a traditional Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. Bethell scored 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, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.