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The England head coach loathed the moniker Bazball from its inception, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised 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 opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While nets are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's unconventional approach was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Going by the coach's words after the match, England look likely 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 unusual day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.