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

But the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if there was an issue, England were 'too prepared' prior to the pink-ball match was akin to trying to put out a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as England head coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While he claims to block out external noise, he must have been acutely aware of an England team increasingly characterised as freewheeling and underprepared.

The truth, as always, is not so simple. England play as much golf during their scheduled breaks as their opponents and they train just as much. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, logging five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the changes in lighting conditions.

The Question of Readiness and Training

McCullum's point about being "excessively ready" was that those five extra days were his decision – the moment he blinked in his conviction that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was expended before they even stepped out in the intensity of Australia's fortress. While net practice are a opportunity to iron out technique, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with no guarantee, 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 valuable experience in general, as shown by a young player's unproductive season.

Match Shortcomings and Strategic Lack of Evolution

Only playing prepares cricketers for the various scenarios they walk out to face, and it is in this area where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. None has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have displayed.

The coach's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed remedy to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The frustration now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that point – an absence of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen results taper off to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Team Decisions

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, 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, Alex Carey, has just produced a masterful display.

Based on the coach's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a traditional Test setting 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 series win in New Zealand last year by shifting Ollie Pope down to his more natural home as a active No. 5 or 6, giving him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed pre-series optimism and pushed the broader philosophy into the harsh glare of scrutiny.