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The England head coach detested the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, considering it overly simplistic and maybe anticipating how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that began with great expectations, it has become the butt of mockery from Australia.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' before the pink-ball match was like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It could become his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not take an upturn.

In a way, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While he claims to ignore external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and lacking preparation.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their limited experience to the pink ball and the different lighting conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

The coach's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the moment he blinked in his belief that less is more. It suggested a significant amount of focus was used up before they even took the field in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While nets are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly maintains the reactions quick.

Schedules are tight such that pre-series state games were not possible (and no guarantee, as shown by England playing 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 more broadly, evidenced by a young player's unproductive season.

On-Field Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have thus far been found lacking. The issue is not just with the bat – harrowing as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has demonstrated the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's free-spirit outlook was freeing during its initial year, an effective, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the torpor that came before. The frustration now comes in how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Squad Spotlight and Team Dilemmas

One such player is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two crucial opportunities with the gloves. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso display.

Going by McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the victorious series in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. Bethell made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

Ultimately, none of this is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and forced the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.