I Would Be Salivating Bowling to the English Team - Glenn McGrath
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The Australian team to fight back and win the first Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, you wonder what psychological damage will be left on the England team.
How will they respond for the rest of series?
Unexpected Turnaround
I believe no one expected what happened on Saturday. When you examine the quantity of deliveries required to complete the game, it was the longest format on accelerated pace.
England were clearly dominant at lunch on the second day, leading by 105 runs with nine wickets in hand. The playing surface was still offering assistance. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to re-enter the match.
Shot Selection Woes
From that moment, England's choice of strokes was their major downfall. Scott Boland put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the initial batting, then completely reversed in the subsequent innings to be the catalyst for the recovery.
England's batters were out attempting to strike balls wide of off-stump, in the air, through the covers.
Trying to score off those deliveries, with those shots, is the precise action you just should avoid as a batter in Australia.
Adaptation Issues
It showed that England had failed to complete their preparation, are unable to adjust or are unwilling to adapt.
There is much discussion about England's method, their attacking philosophy. I witnessed it firsthand during the recent series in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and their coach, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to sticking with 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 do not reassess, they will struggle for the entire series.
Bowling Perspective
As a paceman, I would have consistently believed in the contest against this England team.
I depended on my accuracy, having confidence to land the identical area on or outside off stump, with a bit of bounce and nip.
Even if this England team was going well, I'd be licking my lips at the prospect of facing them, aware a single error could result in multiple wickets.
Skill and Resilience
There are occasions when England can be a high-quality team. They have talented individuals. Competent cricketers have skill, but great players have the mental toughness and attitude to be adaptable enough for the situation.
They would been stunned 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 loyal Australian, I somewhat wants to see them adapt, just to show they can get better.
Bowling Concerns
It was similar with their pace attack. England's bowling unit was very good on the opening day, then lost the plot when they were put under pressure on the following day.
In the longest format, all aspects require a backup strategy. Frequently it feels like England have a single approach, then nowhere to go if that does not work.
'Where has this come from?' - Starc bowls Root as England collapse in quick succession
Brilliant Innings
In defense to England's pace attack, they were hit by one of the memorable Ashes innings by Travis Head.
His century off 69 deliveries was the second fastest by an Australian man in the historic rivalry, 12 balls behind the legendary keeper at the Perth ground previously – a game I played in.
My former teammate Gilchrist said Head's innings was the better of the two. I concur. Given the difficulty of the pitch and the situation of the match circumstances, the innings will go down as a moment of Ashes history.
Strategic Decisions
It was a courageous move for Australia to elevate Head up the order for the follow-on.
Usman Khawaja has faced criticism for being failing to start in either innings. He had back spasms after playing the sport the day before the Test, but I do not believe the two were connected.
When the batsman missed out on day one, Australia promoted their number three and got bogged down.
In moving the aggressive batsman, who has the experience of opening in limited overs, Australia were able to take the attack to England.
Future Considerations
Now there is the question of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them stick with the method of aggression at the beginning.
That could mean Head remains, meaning someone like Beau Webster comes into the batting lineup, or return to his position and Mitchell Marsh or Josh Inglis could move to the opening. It would be tough on Khawaja, but sometimes you have to do what the opposition would find most uncomfortable.
Tournament Perspective
After the opening match was controlled by the bowlers, some are wondering if the remaining series will be short, low-scoring Tests.
Perth Stadium is essentially the fastest, bounciest pitch in the world, so the batsmen should get a little bit of respite from here onward.
It is not all about the wicket. Credit 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 analyze how they got themselves out.
Pivotal Match
Now we move on to Brisbane, and the completely distinct twilight conditions for the following match.
In the historic series, I was part of the national side that overwhelmed England to win 5-0. The rivalry in this country have a tendency of slipping from England rapidly.
At the present, England are only 1-0 down. There would be no recovery from two down, which is why the venue is such a crucial game.
They need to adjust, or the Ashes will be gone again.