I'd Be Salivating Facing England - Glenn McGrath

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The Australian team to fight back and claim victory in the first 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 expected what happened on the weekend. When you examine the quantity of deliveries required to complete the game, it was Test cricket on accelerated pace.

England were well on top at lunch on the second day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The playing surface was still doing plenty. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to re-enter the match.

Shot Selection Woes

From that moment, England's choice of strokes was their major downfall. Scott Boland put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the first innings, then turned it around in the second to be the catalyst for the recovery.

England's batters were out trying to hit balls outside off stump, in the air, towards cover region.

Trying to score off those deliveries, with those shots, is the precise action you just should avoid as a batsman in Australia.

Adjustment Problems

It showed that England had not done their preparation, are not able to adapt or are reluctant to adapt.

There is a lot of talk about England's method, their attacking philosophy. I observed it up close during the recent series in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and their coach, they can be quite rigid when it comes to sticking with that method.

It is acceptable on sluggish pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a approach fraught with danger. If England do not reassess, they will face difficulties for the entire series.

Pacer's Viewpoint

As a bowler, I would have always felt in the contest against this England team.

I depended on my accuracy, having confidence to land the identical area around off stump, with a bit of bounce and movement.

Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the idea of bowling to them, aware one mistake could bring multiple wickets.

Skill and Resilience

There are times when England can be a top-class team. They have talented individuals. Good players have skill, but great players have the mental toughness and mindset to be flexible enough for the conditions.

They would been stunned at the way events developed at the venue, devastated 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 adapt, just to show they can improve.

Bowling Concerns

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

In the longest format, all disciplines require a Plan B. Frequently it seems England have one method, then nowhere to go if that fails.

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

Brilliant Innings

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

His century off 69 deliveries was the second quickest by an Australian batsman in Ashes cricket, 12 balls behind the legendary keeper at the Perth ground 19 years ago – a game I played in.

My former teammate Gilchrist said the performance was the superior of the two. I agree. Given the difficulty of the wicket and the context of the match situation, the innings will go down as a moment of cricket lore.

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 failing to start in both attempts. He had muscle issues after playing the sport the previous day the Test, but I do not believe the two were connected.

When Khawaja missed out on the opening day, Australia promoted their number three and got bogged down.

In moving Head, who has the confidence of starting in limited overs, Australia were able to go on offensive to England.

Upcoming Decisions

Now there is the issue of what Australia will do for the next match. I'd like to see them stick with the approach of aggression at the top of the order.

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning a player such as Beau Webster comes into the batting lineup, or return to his position and Mitchell Marsh or Josh Inglis could go to the opening. It would be difficult for Khawaja, but sometimes you have to do what the rival team would find most uncomfortable.

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.

Perth Stadium is essentially the fastest, bounciest pitch in the global cricket, so the batters should get a some respite from now on.

It is not all about the wicket. Recognition has to be awarded to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the right place consistently. In general, batsmen on each team will need to look at how they were dismissed.

Crucial Next Test

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

In the historic series, I was a member of the Australia team that overwhelmed England to win 5-0. Ashes series in this nation have a tendency of slipping from England quickly.

At the moment, England are only 1-0 down. There would be no recovery from two down, which is why the venue is such a crucial game.

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

William Pratt
William Pratt

Elara is a seasoned gaming enthusiast with a passion for reviewing online casinos and sharing expert tips for players.