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The England head coach loathed the moniker Bazball since it was coined, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence 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 could become his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to ignore outside criticism, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, 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, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the persistence or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen results taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Team Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Based on McCullum's comments after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving 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 scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.