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The England head coach despised the label Bazball from its inception, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be weaponised down the line. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But the coach has not helped himself either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It could become his epitaph as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he says he block out external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, 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, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to 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 five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience more broadly, as shown by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares 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 – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, apt solution to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the original software that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Focus and Selection Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful performance.

Based on the coach's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving Ollie Pope 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 over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, these changes is perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.