I'd Be Salivating Facing England - Glenn McGrath

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For Australia to fight back and win the opening Ashes Test as decisively as they did, one questions 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 anyone expected what transpired on Saturday. When you look at the quantity of deliveries taken to finish the game, it was the longest format on accelerated pace.

England were well on top at lunch on the following day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. It looked so tough for Australia to re-enter the match.

Shot Selection Woes

From that moment, England's shot selection was their major downfall. Scott Boland put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the first innings, then turned it around in the second to be the catalyst for the comeback.

England's batters were out trying to hit balls wide of off-stump, on the up, towards cover region.

Trying to score off those bowls, with those shots, is the one thing you just should avoid as a batter in Australia.

Adaptation Issues

It showed that England had not done their homework, are not able to adjust or are unwilling to adapt.

There is much discussion about England's method, their aggressive style. I witnessed it up close during the recent series in the UK. Under their captain and Brendon McCullum, they can be quite rigid when it comes to adhering to that method.

It is acceptable on sluggish pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a method fraught with danger. If England do not reassess, they will face difficulties for the whole 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 some bounce and movement.

Even if this England team was going well, I'd be licking my lips at the idea of bowling to them, knowing one mistake could result in multiple wickets.

Quality and Mental Toughness

There are occasions when England can be a top-class team. They have good players. Good players have ability, but great players have the psychological strength and attitude to be adaptable enough for the situation.

They would been shellshocked 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, part of me wants to see them change, just to show they can get better.

Bowling Concerns

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 Test cricket, all disciplines require a Plan B. Quite often it seems England have a single approach, then nowhere to go if that fails.

'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England lose third wicket in quick succession

Brilliant Innings

In defense to England's bowlers, they were hit by one of the memorable Ashes innings by the Australian batsman.

His century off 69 deliveries was the second fastest by an Australian man in Ashes cricket, two overs behind the legendary keeper at the Waca 19 years ago – a match I played in.

My former teammate Gilchrist said Head's innings was the superior of the two. I agree. Considering the challenging nature of the wicket and the context of the match circumstances, Head's knock will go down as a highlight of Ashes history.

Strategic Decisions

It was a bold and brave move for Australia to elevate Head up the order for the follow-on.

Usman Khawaja has faced criticism for being unable to open in either innings. He had muscle issues after playing the sport the previous day the Test, but I don't think the two were linked.

When Khawaja failed on day one, Australia promoted Marnus Labuschagne and got stuck.

In moving Head, who has the experience of starting in white-ball cricket, 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 continue the approach of aggression at the beginning.

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning someone like the all-rounder comes into the middle order, or return to his position and Mitchell Marsh or the keeper could go to the top. It would be tough on the batsman, but occasionally you have to do what the rival team would find most challenging.

Tournament Perspective

After the first Test was dominated by the pace attack, some are wondering if the rest of series will be brief, low-run Tests.

Perth Stadium is essentially the fastest, bounciest pitch in the global cricket, so the batsmen should get a little bit of relief from now on.

It is not all about the wicket. Credit has to be given to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the correct areas consistently. In general, batsmen on both sides will need to look at how they got themselves out.

Pivotal Match

Now we progress to the next venue, and the vastly different twilight conditions for the following match.

In 2006-07, I was a member of the Australia team that dominated England to win 5-0. The rivalry in this country have a habit of getting away from England rapidly.

At the moment, England are only 1-0 down. There would be no coming back from 2-0, which is why Brisbane is such a crucial game.

They must adapt, or the Ashes will be gone again.

Shane Gonzalez
Shane Gonzalez

A passionate gamer and strategy expert, Lena shares her insights to help players excel in competitive mobile gaming.

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