I Would Be Licking My Lips Facing England - McGrath
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For Australia 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.
What are they going to do for the remaining series?
Unexpected Turnaround
I believe anyone expected what transpired on the weekend. 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 nine wickets in hand. The playing surface was still offering assistance. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to get back into the match.
Shot Selection Woes
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 completely reversed in the subsequent innings to be the catalyst for the recovery.
England's batsmen were out trying to hit balls wide of off-stump, in the air, towards cover region.
Trying to score off those bowls, with those strokes, is the precise action you just should avoid as a batter in Australia.
Adaptation Issues
It demonstrated that England had failed to complete their homework, are not able to adjust or are reluctant to change approach.
There is a lot of talk about England's approach, 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 strategy.
It is fine on slow, low pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a method fraught with danger. If England fail to reconsider, 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, backing myself to land the same spot around off stump, with a some bounce and nip.
Even if this England team was going well, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the prospect of facing them, aware one mistake could bring multiple wickets.
Skill and Resilience
There are occasions when England can be a high-quality team. They have talented individuals. Good players have ability, but great players have the mental toughness and attitude to be adaptable enough for the conditions.
They would been stunned at the way events developed at Perth Stadium, crushed at the way they were defeated. Now we will see what they are capable of. Even as a loyal Australian, part of me wants to see them adapt, just to show they can get better.
Bowling Concerns
It was similar with their bowling. England's bowling unit was very good on the opening day, then lost direction when they were put under pressure on the second night.
In Test cricket, all aspects require a backup strategy. Quite often it feels like England have one method, then no alternatives if that fails.
'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 great Ashes innings by the Australian batsman.
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 match I participated in.
My old mate Gilchrist said the performance was the better of the two. I concur. Considering the difficulty of the pitch and the situation of the game circumstances, the innings will be remembered as a highlight of cricket lore.
Strategic Decisions
It was a courageous move for Australia to elevate the batsman in the lineup for the follow-on.
Usman Khawaja has faced criticism for being failing to start in both attempts. He had muscle issues after playing the sport the previous day the Test, but I don't think the two were linked.
When Khawaja missed out on day one, Australia advanced their number three and got bogged down.
In promoting the aggressive batsman, who has the confidence of starting in limited overs, Australia were able to take the attack to England.
Upcoming Decisions
Now there is the question of what Australia will do for the next match. I'd like to see them continue the approach of attacking play at the top of the order.
That could mean Head remains, meaning someone like the all-rounder comes into the middle order, or return to his position and the all-rounder 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 challenging.
Tournament Perspective
After the opening match was controlled by the pace attack, questions arise if the rest of series will be short, low-scoring Tests.
The venue is essentially the quickest, liveliest pitch in the global cricket, so the batters should get a little bit of respite from now on.
It is not all about the pitch. Recognition has to be awarded to the pacemen for delivering the ball in the correct areas consistently. In general, batsmen on both sides will need to analyze how they were dismissed.
Crucial Next Test
Now we progress to the next venue, and the vastly different twilight conditions for the second Test.
In the historic series, I was a member of the Australia team that overwhelmed England to win 5-0. Ashes series in this country have a tendency of slipping 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 gone once more.