I Would Be Licking My Lips Bowling to England - Glenn McGrath

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The Australian team to bounce back and win the first Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, one questions what psychological damage will be inflicted upon the England team.

What are they going to do for the rest of series?

Surprising Comeback

I do not think anyone anticipated what happened on the weekend. When you examine the quantity of deliveries taken to finish the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.

England were clearly dominant at lunch on the following day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The playing surface was still offering assistance. It looked so tough for Australia to get back into the match.

Batting Mistakes

From that moment, England's choice of strokes was their big undoing. 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 comeback.

England's batters were out trying to hit balls wide of off-stump, on the up, towards cover region.

Attempting runs off those bowls, with those shots, is the one thing you just do not do as a batsman in Australia.

Adjustment Problems

It showed that England had failed to complete their homework, are unable to adjust or are reluctant to change approach.

There is a lot of talk about England's approach, their aggressive style. I observed it firsthand 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 fine on sluggish pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a approach fraught with danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will struggle for the whole series.

Pacer's Viewpoint

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

I relied on my precision, backing myself to hit the identical area on or outside off stump, with a some bounce and movement.

Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the idea of bowling to them, knowing a single error could result in three or four wickets.

Quality and Mental Toughness

There are occasions when England can be a top-class team. They have talented individuals. Competent cricketers have ability, but exceptional athletes have the psychological strength and mindset to be adaptable enough for the conditions.

They would been shellshocked at the way things unfolded at the venue, crushed at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are capable of. Even as a true blue Australian, I somewhat wants to see them change, just to show they can get better.

Pace Attack Issues

It was almost the same with their pace attack. England's bowling unit was excellent on the first evening, then lost the plot when they were attacked on the following day.

In Test cricket, all disciplines require a backup strategy. Frequently it seems England have a single approach, then nowhere to go if that does not work.

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Head's Masterclass

In fairness to England's bowlers, they were hit by one of the memorable Ashes innings by Travis Head.

His 69-ball hundred was the second quickest by an Australian man in the historic rivalry, two overs behind Adam Gilchrist at the Waca previously – a match I participated in.

My old mate Gilly said the performance was the better of the two. I concur. Considering the challenging nature of the wicket and the context of the match situation, Head's knock will go down as a highlight of cricket lore.

Strategic Decisions

It was a courageous move for Australia to promote the batsman up the order for the second innings.

The opener has copped it for being unable to open in either innings. He had muscle issues after playing golf the day before the Test, but I don't think the two were linked.

When Khawaja missed out 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 second Test. I'd like to see them stick with the method of aggression at the beginning.

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning a player such as Beau Webster enters the batting lineup, or Head could go back to his position and Mitchell Marsh or Josh Inglis could move to the top. It would be tough on the batsman, but sometimes you have to do what the rival team 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 pretty much the fastest, bounciest pitch in the global cricket, so the batsmen should get a little bit of relief from here onward.

It is not entirely about the wicket. Credit has to be awarded to the pacemen for delivering the ball in the correct areas consistently. Overall, batsmen on both sides will need to look at how they were dismissed.

Crucial Next Test

Now we progress to Brisbane, and the vastly different day-night conditions for the second Test.

In the historic series, I was a member of the national side that overwhelmed England to achieve 5-0. Ashes series in this country have a habit of getting away from England rapidly.

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

They need to adjust, or the historic urn will be lost once more.