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The England head coach detested the label Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it could be weaponised down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While he claims to block out external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience 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 additional training days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his belief that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of focus was expended before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (with uncertain value, when you consider England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise in general, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Based on the coach's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional match environment triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

The alternative 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, giving him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.