I'd Be Licking My Lips Facing the English Team - Glenn McGrath

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For Australia to fight back and claim victory in the opening Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what psychological damage will be inflicted upon the England team.

What are they going to do for the remaining series?

Surprising Comeback

I believe anyone anticipated what happened on Saturday. When you examine the quantity of deliveries taken to finish the game, it was Test cricket on accelerated pace.

England were clearly dominant at lunch on the following day, 105 ahead with most wickets in hand. The playing surface was still offering assistance. It looked so tough for Australia to re-enter the match.

Batting Mistakes

From that moment, England's shot selection was their big undoing. The Australian bowler put in probably his worst performance in an Australia shirt in the initial batting, then completely reversed in the subsequent innings to be the driving force for the recovery.

England's batters were out attempting to strike balls wide of off-stump, on the up, through the covers.

Trying to score off those deliveries, with those strokes, is the one thing you just should avoid as a batter in Australia.

Adaptation Issues

It showed that England had failed to complete their preparation, are not able to adapt or are unwilling to adapt.

There is a lot of talk 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 adhering to that method.

It is acceptable on slow, low pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a approach full of danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will face difficulties for the entire series.

Bowling Perspective

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

I relied on my accuracy, backing myself to land the identical area on or outside off stump, with a some bounce and nip.

Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the idea 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 talented individuals. Competent cricketers have ability, but exceptional athletes have the psychological strength and mindset to be adaptable enough for the situation.

They would been stunned at the way events developed at the venue, devastated at the way they were defeated. Now we will see what they are capable of. Even as a true blue Australian, part of me wants to see them adapt, just to show they can get better.

Pace Attack Issues

It was similar 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 aspects require a backup strategy. Frequently it seems England have one method, then nowhere to go if that fails.

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Brilliant Innings

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 batsman in Ashes cricket, 12 balls behind Adam Gilchrist at the Waca previously – a game I participated in.

My old mate Gilchrist said Head's innings was the better of the two. I concur. Given the challenging nature of the pitch and the situation of the match situation, the innings will go down as a moment of Ashes history.

Tactical Moves

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

The opener has copped it for being unable to open in both attempts. He had muscle issues after playing golf the day before the Test, but I do not believe the two were connected.

When Khawaja missed out on day one, Australia advanced their number three and got stuck.

In moving the aggressive batsman, who has the confidence 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 stick with the method of attacking play at the top of the order.

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning someone like Beau Webster comes into the middle order, 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 rival team would find most uncomfortable.

Series Outlook

After the opening match was dominated by the bowlers, some are wondering if the remaining series will be brief, low-run Tests.

Perth Stadium is essentially the quickest, liveliest pitch in the world, so the batters should get a some respite from here onward.

It is not all about the wicket. Recognition has to be awarded to the pacemen for getting the ball in the correct areas consistently. In general, batsmen on both sides will need to look at how they got themselves out.

Crucial Next Test

Now we move on to the next venue, and the vastly different twilight conditions for the second Test.

In the historic series, I was part of the Australia team that dominated England to win 5-0. Ashes series in this country have a tendency of getting away from England quickly.

At the present, England are only 1-0 down. There would be no coming back from 2-0, which is why the venue is such a massive game.

They need to adjust, or the Ashes will be gone once more.

Kimberly Arellano
Kimberly Arellano

Lena is a travel writer and urban enthusiast with a passion for uncovering hidden gems in cities across the globe.