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The England head coach detested the term Bazball from its inception, deeming it overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

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

The truth, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It meant a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and uncertain value, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus 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 without a spearhead. None has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen results decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Selection Dilemmas

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 produced a masterful performance.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

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