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The England head coach despised the term Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as reductive and maybe foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

McCullum'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 suggested a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with 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 domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional approach was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, apt remedy to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso display.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, giving him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.