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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching 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 rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

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

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (and uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios 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 attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now stems from 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 Team Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful performance.

Going by McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

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