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The England head coach detested the moniker Bazball from its inception, viewing it as reductive and maybe anticipating how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum says he ignore outside criticism, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (with no guarantee, as shown by England playing 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 in general, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an upgrade to the original software that has seen results decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Selection Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, 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 produced a virtuoso display.

Going by McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, handing him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.