🔗 Share this article I'd Be Licking My Lips Facing England - McGrath Published9 minutes ago 4 Comments For Australia to fight back and claim victory in the first Ashes Test so convincingly 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 transpired on Saturday. When you look at the quantity of deliveries required to complete the game, it was the longest format on accelerated pace. England were well on top at lunch 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 shot selection was their big undoing. Scott Boland put in probably his worst performance in an Australia shirt in the initial batting, then completely reversed in the second to be the driving force 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 deliveries, with those shots, is the one thing you just should avoid as a batter in Australia. Adaptation Issues It demonstrated that England had failed to complete their homework, are unable to adapt or are unwilling to adapt. There is a lot of talk about England's method, 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 sticking with that strategy. It is acceptable on slow, low pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a method full of danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will struggle for the entire series. Pacer's Viewpoint As a paceman, I would have always felt in the contest against this England team. I depended on my accuracy, having confidence to hit the identical area on or outside off stump, with a bit of bounce and movement. Even if this England team was going well, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the idea of bowling to them, aware one mistake could bring multiple wickets. Skill and Resilience There are times when England can be a high-quality team. They have good players. Good players have ability, but great players have the psychological strength and mindset 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 improve. Pace Attack Issues It was almost the same 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 following day. In the longest format, all disciplines require a backup strategy. Frequently it feels like England have one method, then no alternatives if that fails. 'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England collapse in six balls Brilliant Innings In fairness to England's bowlers, 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 Ashes cricket, 12 balls behind Adam Gilchrist at the Waca previously – a match I participated in. My former teammate Gilly said Head's innings was the superior of the two. I agree. Considering the difficulty of the wicket and the context of the game circumstances, Head's knock will go down as a moment of Ashes history. 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 failing to start in either innings. He had muscle issues after playing the sport the previous day the Test, but I do not believe the two were connected. When Khawaja failed on the opening day, Australia advanced Marnus Labuschagne and got bogged down. In promoting the aggressive batsman, who has the confidence 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 Head remains, meaning someone like Beau Webster comes into the batting lineup, or return to his position and Mitchell Marsh or Josh Inglis could move to the top. It would be difficult for Khawaja, but occasionally you have to do what the opposition would find most challenging. Tournament Perspective After the opening match was controlled by the pace attack, some are wondering if the rest of series will be short, low-scoring Tests. Perth Stadium is pretty much the quickest, liveliest pitch in the world, so the batsmen should get a some relief from here onward. It is not entirely about the pitch. Recognition has to be given to the bowlers for getting the ball in the correct areas so often. In general, batsmen on each team will need to look at how they were dismissed. Crucial Next Test Now we move on to the next venue, and the completely distinct day-night conditions for the second Test. In 2006-07, I was part of the national side that dominated England to win 5-0. The rivalry in this country have a tendency of slipping from England quickly. At the present, England are only 1-0 down. There would be no recovery from two down, which is why Brisbane is such a crucial game. They need to adjust, or the Ashes will be lost once more.