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The England head coach loathed the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps 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 become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he block out outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his decision – the instance he wavered in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While nets are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that pre-series state games were not possible (and 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 Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was freeing during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the torpor that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that initial phase – 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.

Player Spotlight and Selection Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful display.

Going by McCullum's words after the match, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test 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 moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a new No 3. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.