I Would Be Salivating Bowling to England - Glenn McGrath
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The Australian team to fight back and claim victory in the first Ashes Test as decisively as they did, one questions what psychological damage will be inflicted upon the England team.
What are they going to do for the remaining series?
Unexpected Turnaround
I believe anyone anticipated what happened on the weekend. When you examine the number of overs taken to complete the game, it was Test cricket on accelerated pace.
England were well on top 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.
Shot Selection Woes
From that moment, England's choice of strokes was their major downfall. The Australian bowler put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the first innings, then turned it around in the subsequent innings to be the driving force for the recovery.
England's batsmen were out attempting to strike balls wide of off-stump, on the up, through the covers.
Trying to score off those bowls, with those strokes, is the precise action you just do not do as a batsman in Australia.
Adaptation Issues
It demonstrated that England had failed to complete their homework, are not able to adjust or are unwilling to adapt.
There is a lot of talk about England's approach, their attacking philosophy. I observed it firsthand during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under their captain and their coach, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to sticking with that strategy.
It is acceptable on sluggish pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a method fraught with danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will face difficulties for the entire series.
Bowling Perspective
As a paceman, I would have always felt in the game against this England team.
I depended on my precision, backing myself to land the same spot on or outside off stump, with a some bounce and nip.
Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be licking my lips at the prospect of bowling to them, knowing a single error could result in three or four wickets.
Skill and Resilience
There are occasions when England can be a top-class team. They have good players. Competent cricketers have skill, but exceptional athletes have the psychological strength and attitude to be flexible enough for the conditions.
They would been shellshocked at the way events developed at the venue, devastated at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a loyal Australian, I somewhat wants to see them change, just to show they can improve.
Pace Attack Issues
It was similar with their pace attack. 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. Frequently it seems England have one method, then nowhere to go if that does not work.
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Head's Masterclass
In fairness to England's pace attack, they were confronted with one of the memorable Ashes innings by Travis Head.
His century off 69 deliveries was the second fastest by an Australian man in the historic rivalry, two overs behind the legendary keeper at the Waca 19 years ago – a match I participated in.
My former teammate Gilchrist said Head's innings was the superior of the two. I concur. Considering the challenging nature of the wicket and the context of the game situation, the innings will go down as a highlight of cricket lore.
Strategic Decisions
It was a bold and brave move for Australia to elevate the batsman 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 day before 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 promoting the aggressive batsman, who has the experience of starting in white-ball cricket, 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 beginning.
That could mean continuation at the top, meaning a player such as Beau Webster comes into the batting lineup, or return to his position and the all-rounder or Josh Inglis could move to the top. It would be tough on the batsman, but sometimes you have to do what the opposition would find most uncomfortable.
Series Outlook
After the first Test was controlled by the pace attack, some are wondering if the rest of series will be brief, low-run Tests.
The venue is essentially the quickest, liveliest pitch in the world, so the batsmen should get a some respite from now on.
It is not all about the wicket. Recognition has to be given to the bowlers for getting the ball in the correct areas consistently. Overall, batters on both sides will need to analyze how they got themselves out.
Pivotal Match
Now we move on to Brisbane, and the vastly different twilight conditions for the second Test.
In 2006-07, I was part of the national side that overwhelmed England to achieve 5-0. The rivalry in this nation 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 need to adjust, or the Ashes will be lost once more.
