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The England head coach loathed the label Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it reductive and maybe foreseeing how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. 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, logging five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of focus was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure activity that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with no guarantee, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, apt solution to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. 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 Team Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a masterful display.

Based on McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith 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 unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, none of this is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.