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The England head coach detested the label Bazball since it was coined, considering it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he says he block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience 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 additional training days were his call – the instance he wavered in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While nets are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and uncertain value, when you consider England playing 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.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the persistence or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The disappointment 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 decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.