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The England head coach detested the moniker Bazball since it was coined, considering it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon down the line. 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. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum claims to block out outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different lighting 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 blinked in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and no guarantee, when you consider 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 valuable experience in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

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 stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Selection Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, 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 counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Based on the coach's comments after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.