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The England head coach loathed the term Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and maybe anticipating how it could be weaponised in the future. Currently, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.

But 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 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as national coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. As much as he claims to block out 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 more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Practice

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 meant a significant amount 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 activity that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the whitewash in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the disregard of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Strategic Stagnation

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the batting – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the patience 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 seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – an absence of an upgrade to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Team Dilemmas

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities with the gloves. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by the coach's words in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a more familiar match environment unleashes his best, with Perth's trampoline surface and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

The alternative is to enact the plan discovered during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a active middle order player, giving him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps Will Jacks could fulfil a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and forced the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.