I'd Be Licking My Lips Facing England - McGrath
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The Australian team to bounce back and claim victory in the first Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, you wonder what psychological damage will be left on the England team.
How will they respond for the remaining series?
Surprising Comeback
I do not think no one anticipated what transpired on the weekend. When you look at the number of overs 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 nine wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. It looked so tough for Australia to get back into the match.
Batting Mistakes
From that point, England's shot selection was their big undoing. Scott Boland put in arguably his poorest performance in an national colors in the initial batting, then completely reversed in the second to be the driving force for the recovery.
England's batters were out trying to hit balls wide of off-stump, in the air, towards cover region.
Attempting runs off those deliveries, with those shots, is the precise action you just do not do as a batsman in Australia.
Adaptation Issues
It showed that England had failed to complete their homework, are unable to adapt or are unwilling to adapt.
There is a lot of talk about England's approach, their attacking philosophy. I observed it firsthand during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under their captain and Brendon McCullum, 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 struggle for the whole series.
Pacer's Viewpoint
As a bowler, I would have always felt in the game against this England team.
I relied on my precision, having confidence to land the same spot on or outside off stump, with a some bounce and movement.
Even if this England team was going well, I'd be licking my lips at the prospect of bowling to them, knowing one mistake could bring three or four wickets.
Quality and Mental Toughness
There are times 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 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 bowling. England's attack was excellent on the first evening, 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 one method, then nowhere to go if that fails.
'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England lose third wicket in quick succession
Brilliant Innings
In fairness to England's pace attack, they were hit by 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, two overs behind the legendary keeper at the Waca 19 years ago – a match I participated in.
My old mate Gilly said Head's innings was the superior of the two. I agree. Given the challenging nature of the wicket and the context of the match circumstances, the innings will go down as a highlight of cricket lore.
Tactical Moves
It was a bold and brave move for Australia to elevate Head up the order for the second innings.
Usman Khawaja has copped it for being failing to start in either innings. He had muscle issues after playing golf the previous day the Test, but I do not believe the two were connected.
When Khawaja failed on the opening day, Australia advanced their number three and got stuck.
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 question of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them continue the approach of attacking play at the top of the order.
That could mean Head remains, meaning a player such as the all-rounder comes into the batting lineup, or Head could go back to his position and the all-rounder or the keeper could move to the opening. It would be difficult for the batsman, but occasionally you have to do what the rival team would find most uncomfortable.
Series Outlook
After the first Test was dominated by the bowlers, some are wondering 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 entirely about the pitch. Recognition has to be awarded to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the right place so often. In general, batsmen on each team will need to analyze how they were dismissed.
Crucial Next Test
Now we move on to the next venue, and the vastly different twilight conditions for the second Test.
In 2006-07, I was part of the national side that overwhelmed England to win 5-0. The rivalry in this nation have a tendency of getting away from England quickly.
At the present, England are only 1-0 down. There would be no recovery from 2-0, which is why the venue is such a massive game.
They need to adjust, or the historic urn will be lost once more.
