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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball since it was coined, deeming it reductive and maybe anticipating how it might be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While he says he ignore external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

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

The Debate of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While net practice are a chance to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (with no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far been found lacking. 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 demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit approach was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen form decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful display.

Going by the coach's words after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.