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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball since it was coined, considering it overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to block out external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days to Australia's three, due to 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 "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (with uncertain value, when you consider England having played 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 Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the persistence or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, apt remedy to shake off the torpor that came before. The disappointment 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 decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful performance.

Going by the coach's words 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 triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by moving the batsman down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having destroyed expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.