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The England head coach despised the label Bazball from its inception, viewing it as reductive and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

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

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in 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 used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the persistence or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Team Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by McCullum's words in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, giving him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed pre-series optimism and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.