The England head coach detested the term Bazball the moment it emerged, deeming it reductive and maybe foreseeing how it might be weaponised 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 Australian jokes.
But McCullum has contributed to the problem either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' before the pink-ball match was like attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It risks becoming his epitaph as England head coach if results do not improve.
On one level, one must admire his commitment to the bit. As much as McCullum says he block out outside criticism, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.
The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England play as much golf during their necessary down time as their opponents and they practice equally hard. Prior to the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink ball and the changes in seeing conditions.
McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his call – the moment he wavered in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a significant amount of focus was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though net practice are a chance to iron out skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence activity that simply keeps the reflexes sharp.
Fixtures are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with no guarantee, when you consider England having played three before the whitewash 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 wasted summer.
Match practice alone hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is in this area where England have thus far fallen well short. The issue is not just with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. None has shown the persistence or discipline that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his support cast have displayed.
The coach's free-spirit approach was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, apt remedy to eradicate the lethargy that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently failed to move beyond that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen results taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their most recent matches.
One such player is Jamie Smith, a talent, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. The situation is not aided when your counterpart, Alex Carey, has just delivered a virtuoso performance.
Based on the coach's words in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a switch to a traditional Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.
Another option is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by shifting Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active No. 5 or 6, handing him the gloves, and selecting a fresh face at first drop. A young contender made some runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.
Ultimately, these changes is perfect, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the spotlight.
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