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The England head coach loathed the moniker Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and perhaps foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with high hopes, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

But McCullum has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to ignore external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his belief that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of focus was expended before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and no guarantee, when you consider England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just produced a virtuoso performance.

Going by McCullum's comments in the aftermath, England appear set to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his top form, 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 shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.