I Would Be Licking My Lips Bowling to the English Team - McGrath
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For Australia to bounce back and win the opening Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what psychological damage will be inflicted upon the England team.
How will they respond for the rest of series?
Unexpected Turnaround
I do not think no one expected what happened on Saturday. When you examine the number of overs taken to complete the game, it was the longest format on accelerated pace.
England were clearly dominant at the midday break on the following day, leading by 105 runs with nine wickets in hand. The pitch was still offering assistance. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to get back into the match.
Batting Mistakes
From that point, England's shot selection was their big undoing. Scott Boland put in probably his worst performance in an national colors in the initial batting, then completely reversed in the subsequent innings to be the catalyst for the comeback.
England's batsmen were out trying to hit balls outside off stump, on the up, towards cover region.
Attempting runs off those deliveries, with those shots, is the one thing you just should avoid as a batsman in Australia.
Adjustment Problems
It demonstrated that England had not done their homework, are unable to adapt or are reluctant to adapt.
There is much discussion about England's approach, their attacking philosophy. I witnessed it firsthand during the recent series in the UK. Under their captain and their coach, they can be quite rigid when it comes to adhering to that strategy.
It is acceptable on slow, low pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a approach fraught with danger. If England do not reassess, they will face difficulties for the whole series.
Bowling Perspective
As a bowler, I would have always felt in the game against this England team.
I relied on my precision, having confidence to hit the identical area around off stump, with a bit of bounce and nip.
Even if this England team was going well, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the idea of facing them, aware one mistake could bring three or four wickets.
Quality and Mental Toughness
There are occasions when England can be a high-quality team. They have talented individuals. Good players have skill, but exceptional athletes have the psychological strength and attitude to be adaptable enough for the conditions.
They would been shellshocked at the way events developed at the venue, crushed at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are capable of. Even as a true blue Australian, I somewhat wants to see them adapt, just to show they can improve.
Bowling Concerns
It was similar with their pace attack. England's bowling unit was excellent on the opening day, then lost the plot when they were put under pressure on the following day.
In the longest format, all disciplines require a Plan B. Quite often it feels like England have a single approach, then nowhere to go if that does not work.
'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England lose third wicket in six balls
Brilliant Innings
In fairness to England's bowlers, they were hit by one of the memorable Ashes innings by Travis Head.
His century off 69 deliveries was the second quickest by an Australian batsman in Ashes cricket, 12 balls behind Adam Gilchrist at the Waca previously – a match I participated in.
My former teammate Gilchrist said the performance was the better of the two. I concur. Considering the difficulty of the wicket and the situation of the match situation, Head's knock will go down as a highlight of cricket lore.
Strategic Decisions
It was a courageous move for Australia to promote the batsman up the order for the follow-on.
Usman Khawaja has faced criticism for being unable to open 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 their number three and got stuck.
In promoting the aggressive batsman, who has the experience of opening in limited overs, Australia were able to go on offensive to England.
Future Considerations
Now there is the issue of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them stick with the approach of aggression at the beginning.
That could mean Head remains, meaning a player such as the all-rounder enters the middle order, or return to number five and Mitchell Marsh or the keeper could go 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 first Test was controlled by the pace attack, questions arise if the rest of series will be short, low-scoring Tests.
Perth Stadium is essentially the fastest, bounciest pitch in the global cricket, so the batsmen should get a little bit of respite from now on.
It is not entirely about the pitch. Credit has to be awarded to the pacemen for getting the ball in the correct areas consistently. In general, batters on both sides will need to look at how they were dismissed.
Crucial Next Test
Now we progress to Brisbane, and the vastly different day-night conditions for the following match.
In 2006-07, I was a member of the national side that overwhelmed England to win 5-0. Ashes series in this nation have a habit of slipping from England quickly.
At the moment, England are just one match down. There would be no coming back from two down, which is why the venue is such a massive game.
They need to adjust, or the historic urn will be lost once more.