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The England head coach loathed the label Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it might be weaponised in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to block out outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Debate 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 less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

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 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit approach was freeing during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen results taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful performance.

Going by the coach's words after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.