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The England head coach despised the label Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it reductive and perhaps anticipating how it might be weaponised in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if results do not improve.

In a way, one must admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum claims to ignore external noise, he must have been all too aware of an England team often described as carefree and lacking preparation.

The reality, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It meant a Test match's worth of focus was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the persistence or control that the exceptional Australian paceman and his support cast have delivered.

The coach's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen form decline to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Spotlight and Team Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on McCullum's words after the match, England appear set to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a traditional Test setting triggers his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe an all-rounder could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, however Australia's superior basics having shattered pre-series optimism and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.