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Brendon McCullum detested the label Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it could be used as a weapon down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the day-night Test was like trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if results do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he says he block out external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Preparation and Training

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. While nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that simply maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that pre-series state games were unavailable (with no guarantee, when you consider 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 valuable experience in general, as shown by Jacob Bethell's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his teammates have displayed.

McCullum's unconventional approach was freeing during its first 12 months, an effective, apt solution to shake off the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the original software that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two key chances with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on the coach's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by moving the batsman down to his preferred position as a busy middle order player, handing him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a comparable function to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, with Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.