I Would Be Salivating Facing England - McGrath
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For Australia to bounce back and claim victory in the opening 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 rest of series?
Surprising Comeback
I do not think no one expected what transpired on Saturday. When you examine the quantity of deliveries required 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 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 outside off stump, in the air, towards cover region.
Trying to score off those bowls, with those strokes, is the one thing you just do not do as a batter in Australia.
Adjustment Problems
It showed that England had not done their preparation, are unable to adapt or are reluctant to change approach.
There is a lot of talk about England's approach, their aggressive style. I witnessed it up close during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, they can be quite rigid when it comes to adhering to that method.
It is fine on slow, low 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 precision, having confidence to land the identical area on or outside off stump, with a bit of bounce and movement.
Even if this England team was going well, I'd be licking my lips at the idea of bowling to them, knowing one mistake could bring three or four wickets.
Skill and Resilience
There are times when England can be a top-class team. They have talented individuals. Competent cricketers have skill, but great players have the psychological strength and mindset to be flexible enough for the conditions.
They would been stunned at the way events developed at Perth Stadium, devastated at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a loyal Australian, I somewhat wants to see them adapt, just to show they can improve.
Pace Attack Issues
It was similar with their pace attack. England's attack was excellent on the opening day, then lost direction when they were attacked on the second night.
In Test cricket, all aspects require a backup strategy. Quite often it feels like England have a single approach, then nowhere to go if that does not work.
'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England lose third wicket in quick succession
Head's Masterclass
In fairness to England's bowlers, they were confronted with one of the great Ashes innings by the Australian batsman.
His 69-ball hundred was the second quickest by an Australian man in Ashes cricket, 12 balls behind the legendary keeper at the Waca 19 years ago – a match I participated in.
My former teammate Gilchrist said the performance was the better of the two. I agree. Considering the challenging nature of the pitch and the context of the match circumstances, the innings will go down as a moment of Ashes history.
Strategic Decisions
It was a courageous move for Australia to promote Head up the order for the follow-on.
The opener has copped it for being unable to open in either innings. He had muscle issues after playing golf the previous day the Test, but I don't think the two were connected.
When Khawaja missed out on the opening day, Australia advanced their number three and got stuck.
In moving the aggressive batsman, who has the confidence of starting in limited overs, Australia were able to take the attack to England.
Upcoming Decisions
Now there is the issue of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them stick with the approach of aggression at the beginning.
That could mean continuation at the top, meaning a player such as the all-rounder comes into the middle order, or Head could go back to number five and the all-rounder or Josh Inglis could go to the top. 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 controlled by the bowlers, some are wondering 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 here onward.
It is not all about the wicket. Recognition has to be given to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the correct areas consistently. In general, batsmen on each team will need to look at how they were dismissed.
Pivotal Match
Now we progress to Brisbane, and the completely distinct day-night conditions for the following match.
In 2006-07, I was a member of the Australia team that overwhelmed England to win 5-0. The rivalry in this nation have a habit of getting away from England rapidly.
At the moment, England are just one match down. There would be no coming back from 2-0, which is why Brisbane is such a crucial game.
They must adapt, or the Ashes will be gone once more.
