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Brendon McCullum detested the moniker Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be weaponised in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching 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 rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as England head coach if results do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as McCullum says he block out external noise, he will have been acutely 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 necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of focus was expended before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has shown the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently 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 last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on 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 return to a traditional Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.