I Would Be Licking My Lips Facing 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 scars will be inflicted upon the England team.
How will they respond for the rest of series?
Unexpected Turnaround
I do not think no one anticipated what happened on the weekend. When you look at the quantity of deliveries taken to complete the game, it was the longest format on fast forward.
England were clearly dominant at the midday break on the following day, 105 ahead with nine wickets in hand. The playing surface was still doing plenty. It looked so tough for Australia to get back into the match.
Batting Mistakes
From that moment, England's choice of strokes was their major downfall. The Australian bowler put in probably his worst performance in an national colors in the initial batting, then turned it around in the subsequent innings to be the catalyst for the recovery.
England's batters were out attempting to strike balls outside off stump, on the up, towards cover region.
Attempting runs off those deliveries, with those shots, is the one thing you just do not do as a batsman in Australia.
Adjustment Problems
It demonstrated that England had failed to complete their preparation, are not able to adapt or are unwilling to change approach.
There is a lot of talk about England's method, their attacking philosophy. I witnessed it up close during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to adhering to that method.
It is acceptable on sluggish 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 whole series.
Bowling Perspective
As a bowler, I would have always felt in the game against this England team.
I depended on my precision, having confidence to land the same spot around off stump, with a bit of bounce and movement.
Even if this England team was going well, I'd be licking my lips at the idea of facing them, knowing one mistake could result in multiple wickets.
Quality and Mental Toughness
There are occasions when England can be a high-quality team. They have good players. Good players have skill, but exceptional athletes have the mental toughness and mindset to be adaptable enough for the conditions.
They would been shellshocked at the way things unfolded at Perth Stadium, 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 change, just to show they can improve.
Pace Attack Issues
It was almost the same with their bowling. England's attack was excellent on the opening day, then lost the plot when they were attacked on the following day.
In the longest format, all aspects require a Plan B. Frequently it feels like England have a single approach, then nowhere to go if that fails.
'Where has this come from?' - Starc bowls Root as England collapse in six balls
Head's Masterclass
In defense 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, two overs behind Adam Gilchrist at the Waca previously – a match I played in.
My old mate Gilly said Head's innings was the superior of the two. I concur. Considering the difficulty of the wicket and the context of the match circumstances, the innings will go down as a moment of cricket lore.
Tactical Moves
It was a bold and brave move for Australia to promote the batsman 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 golf the previous day the Test, but I don't think the two were connected.
When Khawaja missed out on day one, Australia advanced their number three and got stuck.
In promoting Head, 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 next match. I'd like to see them stick with the method of attacking play at the top of the order.
That could mean continuation at the top, meaning a player such as Beau Webster comes into the middle order, or return to his position and the all-rounder or Josh Inglis could go to the top. It would be tough on Khawaja, but sometimes you have to do what the rival team would find most uncomfortable.
Tournament Perspective
After the opening match was controlled by the pace attack, some are wondering if the remaining series will be short, low-scoring Tests.
Perth Stadium is essentially the quickest, liveliest pitch in the world, so the batsmen should get a little bit of respite from now on.
It is not all about the pitch. Credit has to be awarded to the bowlers for getting the ball in the right place so often. Overall, batters on each team will need to look at how they got themselves out.
Pivotal Match
Now we move on to Brisbane, and the completely distinct 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 country have a habit 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 Brisbane is such a massive game.
They need to adjust, or the Ashes will be lost once more.