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The England head coach loathed the label Bazball from its inception, considering it reductive and maybe anticipating how it might be weaponised down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he block out outside criticism, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks 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 lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he blinked in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to iron out technique, 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 no guarantee, when you consider England playing 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 worthwhile exercise more broadly, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the batting – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the persistence or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, apt solution to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Going by McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.