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England were flogged 4-1 in the T20 series against India – including a particularly brutal 150-run thumping in the fifth match – and are 2-0 down in the three-game ODI series ahead of the final match on Wednesday night (AEDT).

McCullum’s appointment as Test coach brought about the Bazball revolution, but pundits argue its effectiveness in the ever-evolving ODI game is limited or even a hindrance.

For The Guardian (UK), Barney Ronay argued the shocking Indian tour was proof Bazball is a “death cult”.

“Because England are, on the numbers, suddenly terrible at cricket. And terrible in a way that feels uniform and on-message,” he wrote.

He also described the appointment of Andrew Flintoff as coach of the Lions (England’s ‘A’ team) as a “total Bazball hire”, and was proof the concept was infiltrating all levels of English cricket.

“(And) the England women went to Australia led by a head coach intent on importing that same regime-friendly energy,” Ronay continued.

“So, England Cricket became a unified brand, philosophy, whatever. And the numbers across the board (since the start of January) read: played 16, won one, lost 14, with three series lost and one more on the way.”

After a horror 2015 World Cup campaign in Australia, where England won only two matches against then-minnows Afghanistan and Scotland, Irishman Eoin Morgan was appointed full-time ODI captain, and Aussie Trevor Bayliss as coach.

They rebuilt the side, and eventually led them to a historic if not controversial victory in the following home ODI World Cup in 2019. Bayliss left a short time later, and Morgan retired in 2022.

Since their last ODI series win against Ireland in October 2023, England have won 25 matches and lost 34.

“The white-ball set-up has regressed so badly it is obvious that there will be no quick path back to the promised land,” Chris Stocks write for the i Paper.

“When he started the job last month, McCullum was meant to offer positive change after two years of failure. Change may be afoot, yet his famous front-foot philosophy that is meant to give players the freedom to play their best cricket has yet to land.

“It may take time for the message to sink in.”

Ronay went on to describe Bazball as “a Rise of the Cool Guys thing, energy and not detail”, which works in Tests, but not the “nerd ball” of ODIs, which “is all about planning, detail and precisely calibrated risk and reward”.

“Stats are not for prats here. It’s the opposite. Winners do maths. Winners know the data. White ball cricket is nerd-ball, a battle for control, for mastery of detail,” he wrote.

“When McCullum was appointed white ball coach it was assumed he would be really good at this because he whacked it years ago and had managed two franchise teams,” he wrote.

“He also hadn’t been involved in a white ball game for three years, and this format evolves at breakneck speed. The ability to adapt, to tweak, to get a handle on detail will be key if England are to flip their current form.”

England’s third ODI against India on Wednesday is its final warm-up match before the opening match of the Champions Trophy against Australia in Lahore.