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The England head coach detested the term Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as reductive and maybe anticipating how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, 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. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

McCullum'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 meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with uncertain value, when you consider England having played 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 valuable experience more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to shake off the lethargy that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Team Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on the coach's words in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

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