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The England head coach detested the label Bazball since it was coined, considering it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he claims to ignore external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and underprepared.

The truth, as always, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals 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 changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with uncertain value, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus 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 without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his support cast have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that point – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Selection Decisions

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Going by McCullum's words after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

The alternative 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 No. 5 or 6, 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, none of this is perfect, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the spotlight.