I'd Be Licking My Lips Facing England - McGrath
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For Australia to fight back and win the opening Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what scars will be inflicted upon the England team.
How will they respond for the remaining series?
Unexpected Turnaround
I believe no one expected what transpired on Saturday. When you look at the number of overs taken to complete the game, it was the longest format on fast forward.
England were clearly dominant at lunch on the second day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to get back into the match.
Shot Selection Woes
From that point, England's shot selection was their major downfall. Scott Boland put in probably his worst performance in an national colors in the first innings, then turned it around in the subsequent innings to be the catalyst for the comeback.
England's batsmen were out attempting to strike balls wide of off-stump, on the up, towards cover region.
Trying to score off those deliveries, with those strokes, is the precise action you just do not do as a batter in Australia.
Adaptation Issues
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 method, their aggressive style. I witnessed it up close during the recent series in the UK. Under their captain and their coach, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to sticking with that method.
It is fine on slow, low pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a method full of danger. If England do not reassess, 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 relied on my accuracy, backing myself to hit the same spot on or outside off stump, with a bit of bounce and nip.
Even if this England team was going well, I'd be licking my lips at the idea of bowling to them, knowing a single error could bring three or four wickets.
Quality and Mental Toughness
There are occasions when England can be a high-quality team. They have good players. Good players have skill, but exceptional athletes have the psychological strength and attitude to be adaptable enough for the situation.
They would been stunned at the way things unfolded at Perth Stadium, 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.
Bowling Concerns
It was almost the same with their bowling. England's attack was excellent on the opening day, then lost the plot when they were attacked on the following day.
In Test cricket, all disciplines require a Plan B. Quite often it seems England have one method, then no alternatives if that fails.
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Head's Masterclass
In defense to England's bowlers, they were hit by one of the great Ashes innings by the Australian batsman.
His 69-ball hundred was the second quickest by an Australian batsman in the historic rivalry, 12 balls behind the legendary keeper at the Waca 19 years ago – a match I played in.
My old mate Gilly said Head's innings was the superior of the two. I agree. Considering the challenging nature of the pitch and the context of the match situation, Head's knock will go down as a moment of cricket lore.
Strategic Decisions
It was a courageous move for Australia to elevate Head up the order for the follow-on.
The opener has faced criticism 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 connected.
When Khawaja missed out on day one, Australia promoted their number three and got bogged down.
In promoting the aggressive batsman, who has the confidence of opening in white-ball cricket, Australia were able to go on offensive to England.
Upcoming Decisions
Now there is the question of what Australia will do for the next match. I'd like to see them stick with the approach of attacking play at the beginning.
That could mean Head remains, meaning someone like Beau Webster enters the middle order, or return to number five and the all-rounder or Josh Inglis could move to the opening. It would be difficult for 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 bowlers, questions arise if the rest of series will be brief, low-run Tests.
Perth Stadium is essentially the quickest, liveliest pitch in the global cricket, so the batsmen should get a some relief from here onward.
It is not all about the pitch. Credit has to be awarded to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the right place consistently. Overall, batsmen on each team 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 the historic series, I was part of the Australia team that overwhelmed England to win 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 coming back from two down, which is why Brisbane is such a crucial game.
They need to adjust, or the Ashes will be gone again.