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The England head coach detested the term Bazball from its inception, considering it overly simplistic and perhaps foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (and no guarantee, when you consider England playing 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 in general, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its initial year, an effective, apt remedy to shake off the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Going by McCullum's comments after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.