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The England head coach detested the term Bazball from its inception, considering it reductive and maybe foreseeing 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 great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

But the coach has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a rubbish fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.

On one level, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. As much as he says he ignore outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence work that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.

Fixtures are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing 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 Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Stagnation

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus 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. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Mitchell Starc and his support cast have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was liberating during its first 12 months, an effective, apt remedy to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently failed to move beyond that point – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results decline to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Squad Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.

Based on the coach's comments after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment unleashes his top form, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unfamiliar day-night format now out of the way.

Another option is to enact the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a busy No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. Bethell made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

In the end, none of this is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.