I'd Be Licking My Lips Bowling to the English Team - McGrath

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The Australian team to fight back and win the first Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what psychological damage will be inflicted upon the England team.

How will they respond for the rest of series?

Surprising Comeback

I do not think anyone anticipated what happened on Saturday. When you look at the number of overs required 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.

Batting Mistakes

From that moment, England's choice of strokes was their big undoing. The Australian bowler put in arguably his poorest 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 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 precise action you just do not do as a batter in Australia.

Adjustment Problems

It demonstrated that England had not done their homework, are unable to adapt or are unwilling to adapt.

There is much discussion about England's approach, their attacking philosophy. I observed it up close 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 acceptable on sluggish pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a approach fraught with danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will face difficulties for the whole series.

Pacer's Viewpoint

As a paceman, I would have consistently believed in the contest against this England team.

I depended on my precision, having confidence to hit the same spot on or outside off stump, with a some bounce and movement.

Even if this England team was going well, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the idea of facing them, knowing one mistake could result in three or four wickets.

Skill and Resilience

There are occasions when England can be a top-class team. They have talented individuals. Competent cricketers have skill, but exceptional athletes have the mental toughness and attitude to be flexible enough for the situation.

They would been stunned at the way things unfolded at Perth Stadium, devastated at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a true blue Australian, part of me wants to see them adapt, just to show they can improve.

Bowling Concerns

It was similar with their pace attack. England's attack was very good on the first evening, then lost the plot when they were attacked on the second night.

In Test cricket, all disciplines require a Plan B. Frequently it feels like England have a single approach, then no alternatives if that fails.

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

Head's Masterclass

In fairness to England's pace attack, they were confronted with one of the memorable Ashes innings by the Australian batsman.

His 69-ball hundred was the second quickest by an Australian man in the historic rivalry, two overs behind the legendary keeper at the Perth ground 19 years ago – a game I played in.

My former teammate Gilly said Head's innings was the better of the two. I concur. Given the challenging nature of the pitch and the context of the game situation, Head's knock will be remembered as a moment of cricket lore.

Tactical Moves

It was a courageous move for Australia to elevate the batsman in the lineup for the second innings.

The opener has faced criticism for being failing to start in both attempts. He had back spasms after playing golf the day before the Test, but I don't think the two were linked.

When the batsman missed out on the opening day, Australia promoted Marnus Labuschagne and got stuck.

In promoting the aggressive batsman, who has the experience of opening in white-ball cricket, Australia were able to go on offensive to England.

Upcoming Decisions

Now there is the issue of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them stick with the approach of attacking play at the top of the order.

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning a player such as the all-rounder comes into the batting lineup, or Head could go back to his position and the all-rounder or Josh Inglis could go to the top. It would be difficult for the batsman, but sometimes you have to do what the opposition would find most challenging.

Series Outlook

After the opening match was controlled by the bowlers, questions arise if the remaining series will be short, low-scoring Tests.

The venue is essentially the quickest, liveliest pitch in the world, so the batsmen should get a some relief from now on.

It is not entirely about the pitch. Recognition has to be given to the pacemen for delivering the ball in the right place consistently. Overall, batsmen on both sides will need to analyze how they got themselves out.

Crucial Next Test

Now we move on to Brisbane, and the vastly different day-night conditions for the following match.

In 2006-07, I was a member of the Australia team that overwhelmed England to achieve 5-0. The rivalry in this nation have a tendency of getting away from England quickly.

At the moment, England are just one match down. There would be no recovery from 2-0, which is why the venue is such a crucial game.

They must adapt, or the historic urn will be lost once more.

Richard Hunter
Richard Hunter

A seasoned technology strategist with over a decade of experience in digital innovation and AI-driven solutions.