I Would Be Salivating Facing the English Team - Glenn McGrath
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For Australia to bounce back and claim victory in the opening Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what psychological damage will be inflicted upon the England team.
What are they going to do for the rest of series?
Unexpected Turnaround
I believe no one anticipated what transpired on the weekend. When you examine the quantity of deliveries taken to complete the game, it was the longest format on fast forward.
England were clearly dominant at lunch on the second day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. It looked so tough for Australia to get back into the match.
Batting Mistakes
From that point, England's shot selection was their big undoing. The Australian bowler put in arguably his poorest performance in an national colors in the initial batting, then completely reversed in the second to be the driving force for the comeback.
England's batters were out attempting to strike balls wide of off-stump, in the air, towards cover region.
Attempting runs off those deliveries, with those strokes, is the precise action you just should avoid as a batter in Australia.
Adaptation Issues
It demonstrated that England had not done their homework, are not able to adjust or are reluctant to adapt.
There is a lot of talk about England's method, their attacking philosophy. I observed it up close during the recent series in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, they can be quite rigid when it comes to adhering to that method.
It is acceptable on slow, low pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a method fraught with danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will face difficulties for the entire series.
Pacer's Viewpoint
As a bowler, I would have consistently believed in the game against this England team.
I relied on my accuracy, having confidence to land the same spot on or outside off stump, with a bit of bounce and movement.
Even if this England team was going well, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the idea of facing them, aware one mistake could bring multiple wickets.
Quality and Mental Toughness
There are times when England can be a top-class team. They have good players. Competent cricketers have ability, but exceptional athletes have the psychological strength and attitude to be flexible enough for the situation.
They would been shellshocked at the way things unfolded at the venue, crushed at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a true blue Australian, I somewhat wants to see them change, just to show they can improve.
Bowling Concerns
It was almost the same with their pace attack. England's attack was excellent on the first evening, then lost the plot when they were put under pressure on the following day.
In the longest format, all disciplines require a backup strategy. Frequently it feels like England have a single approach, then no alternatives if that fails.
'Where has this come from?' - Starc bowls Root as England collapse in six balls
Brilliant Innings
In fairness to England's bowlers, they were hit by one of the great Ashes innings by the Australian batsman.
His 69-ball hundred was the second quickest by an Australian man in Ashes cricket, two overs behind the legendary keeper at the Perth ground previously – a match I participated in.
My former teammate Gilly said the performance was the superior of the two. I concur. Given the difficulty of the pitch and the context of the game situation, Head's knock will go down as a moment of cricket lore.
Strategic Decisions
It was a courageous move for Australia to elevate Head up the order for the second innings.
The opener has faced criticism for being unable to open in both attempts. He had muscle issues after playing the sport the day before the Test, but I do not believe the two were linked.
When Khawaja missed out on the opening day, Australia advanced their number three and got bogged down.
In promoting Head, who has the experience of opening in white-ball cricket, Australia were able to go on offensive to England.
Upcoming Decisions
Now there is the issue of what Australia will do for the next match. I'd like to see them continue the method of aggression at the beginning.
That could mean Head remains, meaning a player such as Beau Webster comes into the batting lineup, or Head could go back to his position and Mitchell Marsh or Josh Inglis could move to the opening. It would be tough on the batsman, but occasionally you have to do what the opposition would find most challenging.
Series Outlook
After the first Test was controlled by the pace attack, questions arise if the remaining series will be brief, low-run Tests.
Perth Stadium is pretty much the quickest, liveliest pitch in the world, so the batsmen should get a little bit of relief from here onward.
It is not entirely about the wicket. Recognition has to be awarded to the bowlers for getting the ball in the correct areas consistently. In general, batters on each team will need to look at how they got themselves out.
Pivotal Match
Now we progress to Brisbane, and the vastly different day-night conditions for the second Test.
In the historic series, I was a member of the national side that dominated England to achieve 5-0. The rivalry in this nation have a tendency of getting away from England rapidly.
At the present, England are only 1-0 down. There would be no coming back from two down, which is why the venue is such a massive game.
They must adapt, or the Ashes will be gone once more.
