I Would Be Licking My Lips Facing England - McGrath
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The Australian team to fight back and win the first Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what scars will be left on the England team.
How will they respond for the remaining series?
Surprising Comeback
I do not think no one anticipated what happened on the weekend. When you examine the quantity of deliveries required to complete the game, it was Test cricket on accelerated pace.
England were clearly dominant at lunch on the second day, 105 ahead with most wickets in hand. The pitch was still offering assistance. It looked so tough for Australia to re-enter the match.
Batting Mistakes
From that point, 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 driving force for the comeback.
England's batsmen were out attempting to strike balls wide of off-stump, on the up, through the covers.
Attempting runs off those bowls, with those strokes, is the precise action you just do not do as a batter in Australia.
Adjustment Problems
It demonstrated that England had not done their homework, are unable to adjust or are reluctant to adapt.
There is a lot of talk about England's approach, their attacking philosophy. I witnessed it up close during the recent series in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and their coach, they can be quite rigid when it comes to sticking with that strategy.
It is acceptable on sluggish pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a approach full of danger. If England do not reassess, they will struggle for the whole series.
Pacer's Viewpoint
As a bowler, I would have always felt in the contest against this England team.
I depended on my precision, backing myself to land the same spot around off stump, with a some bounce and movement.
Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the idea of facing them, aware one mistake could result in multiple wickets.
Quality and Mental Toughness
There are occasions when England can be a top-class team. They have talented individuals. Competent cricketers have ability, but great players have the mental toughness and mindset to be adaptable enough for the conditions.
They would been stunned at the way things unfolded at Perth Stadium, crushed at the way they were defeated. Now we will see what they are capable of. Even as a true blue Australian, I somewhat wants to see them change, just to show they can improve.
Pace Attack Issues
It was almost the same with their pace attack. England's attack was very good on the first evening, then lost direction when they were put under pressure on the following day.
In the longest format, all disciplines require a backup strategy. Frequently it seems England have a single approach, then no alternatives if that does not work.
'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England lose third wicket in quick succession
Head's Masterclass
In defense to England's pace attack, they were hit by one of the memorable Ashes innings by Travis Head.
His 69-ball hundred was the second quickest by an Australian batsman in Ashes cricket, two overs behind the legendary keeper at the Waca 19 years ago – a game I participated in.
My old mate Gilchrist said Head's innings was the better of the two. I concur. Given the challenging nature of the wicket and the situation of the game situation, Head's knock will be remembered as a moment of cricket lore.
Strategic Decisions
It was a courageous move for Australia to elevate Head in the lineup for the second innings.
Usman Khawaja has faced criticism for being failing to start in both attempts. He had back spasms after playing the sport the previous day the Test, but I do not believe the two were linked.
When the batsman failed on day one, Australia advanced Marnus Labuschagne and got bogged down.
In moving the aggressive batsman, who has the experience of starting 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 approach of aggression at the beginning.
That could mean Head remains, meaning someone like the all-rounder comes into the middle order, or Head could go back to his position and the all-rounder or Josh Inglis could move to the top. It would be difficult for Khawaja, but occasionally you have to do what the rival team would find most challenging.
Series Outlook
After the opening match was controlled by the pace attack, some are wondering if the rest of series will be brief, low-run Tests.
The venue is pretty much the fastest, bounciest pitch in the world, so the batters should get a some relief from now on.
It is not entirely about the wicket. Credit has to be given to the pacemen for getting the ball in the right place consistently. In general, batters on both sides will need to look at how they were dismissed.
Pivotal Match
Now we progress to Brisbane, and the vastly different twilight conditions for the second Test.
In 2006-07, I was a member of the Australia team that dominated England to achieve 5-0. Ashes series in this nation have a tendency of getting away from England quickly.
At the present, England are just one match down. There would be no recovery from 2-0, which is why the venue is such a massive game.
They need to adjust, or the historic urn will be lost again.