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The England head coach detested the term Bazball since it was coined, deeming it reductive and maybe foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he says he ignore external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

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 dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

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 – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Selection Decisions

One such player 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 crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Going by McCullum's words after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative 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 middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.