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The England head coach loathed the label Bazball from its inception, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he says he block out external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents 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 Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth 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 iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

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

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful performance.

Going by the coach'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 switch to a traditional Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.