The England head coach despised the term Bazball since it was coined, considering it reductive and maybe foreseeing how it could be used as a weapon in the future. Right now, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that started with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of mockery from Australia.
However McCullum has not helped himself either. Following the gut-wrenching defeat at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was akin to attempting to extinguish a bin fire with gasoline. It could become his lasting legacy as England head coach if results do not take an upturn.
In a way, you almost have to admire his commitment to the bit. While McCullum says he ignore outside criticism, he must have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.
The reality, as always, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much 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 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 decision – the instance he blinked in his conviction 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. While nets are a opportunity to refine technique, they can also become a safety blanket; low-pressure work that mainly maintains the reflexes sharp.
Schedules are tight such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (with no guarantee, as shown by England having played three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). More difficult to justify is the dismissal of county championship cricket as a valuable experience in general, evidenced by Jacob Bethell's unproductive season.
Only playing hardens cricketers for the various scenarios they encounter, and it is here where England have thus far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – harrowing as some of the decision-making has been – but an attack that seems without a spearhead. No bowler has demonstrated the persistence or control that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.
McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an effective, apt solution to eradicate the lethargy that came before. The disappointment now stems from how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen form taper off to 14 wins and 14 losses from their last 30 Tests.
Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a talent, no question, but one who is being constantly tested on both edges and has dropped two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful performance.
Based on the coach's words after the match, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – similar to the broader situation – is that a return to a more familiar Test setting unleashes his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.
Another option is to enact the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving Ollie Pope down to his preferred position as a active middle order player, giving him the gloves, and selecting a new No 3. A young contender made some runs for the Lions recently, or maybe Will Jacks could perform a similar role to Moeen Ali in 2023.
Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having shattered pre-series optimism and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.
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