I Would Be Licking My Lips Facing England - McGrath
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The Australian team to fight back and claim victory in the opening Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, one questions what psychological damage will be inflicted upon the England team.
How will they respond for the remaining series?
Surprising Comeback
I believe anyone anticipated what happened on Saturday. When you look at the quantity of deliveries required to complete the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.
England were well on top at the midday break on the second day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The playing surface was still offering assistance. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to re-enter the match.
Batting Mistakes
From that moment, England's shot selection was their major downfall. The Australian bowler put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the initial batting, then completely reversed in the second to be the catalyst for the recovery.
England's batsmen were out trying to hit balls wide of off-stump, on the up, through the covers.
Attempting runs off those deliveries, with those strokes, is the one thing you just should avoid as a batsman in Australia.
Adaptation Issues
It demonstrated that England had failed to complete their preparation, are not able to adapt or are reluctant to change approach.
There is a lot of talk about England's method, their attacking philosophy. I observed it up close during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under their captain and their coach, they can be quite rigid when it comes to sticking with that method.
It is acceptable on slow, low 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.
Pacer's Viewpoint
As a bowler, I would have always felt in the game against this England team.
I depended on my accuracy, having confidence to hit the same spot around off stump, with a bit of bounce and movement.
Even if this England team was going well, I'd be licking my lips at the prospect of facing them, knowing a single error could bring three or four wickets.
Skill and Resilience
There are times when England can be a high-quality team. They have good players. Competent cricketers have skill, but great players have the psychological strength and attitude to be flexible enough for the situation.
They would been stunned at the way things unfolded at the venue, devastated at the way they were defeated. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a true blue Australian, I somewhat wants to see them change, just to show they can get better.
Bowling Concerns
It was similar with their pace attack. England's attack was very good on the opening day, then lost direction when they were put under pressure on the second night.
In the longest format, all disciplines require a Plan B. Quite often it feels like England have a single approach, then nowhere to go if that does not work.
'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 great Ashes innings by the Australian batsman.
His 69-ball hundred was the second fastest by an Australian man in Ashes cricket, 12 balls behind the legendary keeper at the Perth ground 19 years ago – a match I participated in.
My old mate 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 go down as a highlight of Ashes history.
Strategic Decisions
It was a bold and brave move for Australia to promote Head in the lineup for the follow-on.
Usman Khawaja has faced criticism for being failing to start in both attempts. He had back spasms after playing the sport the day before the Test, but I do not believe the two were linked.
When the batsman missed out on day one, Australia promoted their number three and got stuck.
In moving the aggressive batsman, who has the experience of opening 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 aggression at the top of the order.
That could mean continuation at the top, meaning someone like the all-rounder enters the middle order, or return to his position and the all-rounder or the keeper could move to the top. It would be difficult for Khawaja, but occasionally you have to do what the rival team would find most uncomfortable.
Series Outlook
After the opening match was controlled by the bowlers, questions arise if the remaining series will be brief, low-run 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 all about the wicket. Credit has to be given to the pacemen for delivering the ball in the right place consistently. In general, batsmen on each team will need to analyze how they got themselves out.
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 a member of the Australia team that dominated England to achieve 5-0. Ashes series in this nation have a habit of getting away from England rapidly.
At the present, England are just one match down. There would be no coming back from two down, which is why Brisbane is such a crucial game.
They must adapt, or the historic urn will be gone again.
