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The England head coach despised the moniker Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he block out outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

McCullum'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 seemingly not evolved past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

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

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.