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The England head coach despised the label Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as overly simplistic and perhaps anticipating how it might be used as a weapon down the line. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he claims to ignore external noise, he will have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and lacking preparation.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Training

The coach's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of mental energy was expended before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's stronghold. And though nets are a chance to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; low-pressure work that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are congested such that pre-series state games were unavailable (and 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 disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the batting – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

The coach's unconventional approach was freeing during its initial year, an effective, apt remedy to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly failed to move beyond that point – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Selection Decisions

Among them is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat 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 comments after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or perhaps Will Jacks could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is ideal, however Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the spotlight.