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The England head coach loathed the moniker Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and perhaps anticipating how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before 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 results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum says he ignore external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have so 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. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Team 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 crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Going by McCullum's comments 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 top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking 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 Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.