I Would Be Salivating Bowling to England - Glenn McGrath

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For Australia to fight back and claim victory in the first Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, one questions 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 happened on Saturday. When you look at the quantity of deliveries required to finish the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.

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

Batting Mistakes

From that moment, England's choice of strokes was their big undoing. The Australian bowler put in probably his worst performance in an Australia shirt in the initial batting, then turned it around in the second to be the catalyst for the comeback.

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

Attempting runs off those bowls, with those strokes, is the one thing you just do not do as a batter in Australia.

Adaptation Issues

It demonstrated that England had failed to complete their preparation, are unable to adjust or are reluctant to adapt.

There is much discussion about England's method, their aggressive style. I observed it up close during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under their captain and their coach, they can be quite rigid when it comes to adhering to that method.

It is fine on sluggish pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a method full of 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 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 facing them, knowing one mistake could result in multiple wickets.

Skill and Resilience

There are times when England can be a top-class team. They have good players. Competent cricketers have ability, but great players have the psychological strength and mindset to be adaptable enough for the conditions.

They would been stunned at the way things unfolded at Perth Stadium, devastated at the way they were defeated. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a loyal Australian, part of me wants to see them change, just to show they can improve.

Bowling Concerns

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 following day.

In the longest format, all disciplines require a Plan B. Frequently it seems England have a single approach, then nowhere to go if that does not work.

'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England collapse in quick succession

Brilliant Innings

In defense 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 fastest by an Australian batsman in Ashes cricket, two overs behind the legendary keeper at the Perth ground 19 years ago – a match I played in.

My old mate Gilly said the performance was the better of the two. I concur. Considering the difficulty of the wicket and the situation of the match circumstances, Head's knock will go down as a moment of cricket lore.

Strategic Decisions

It was a bold and brave move for Australia to promote the batsman up the order for the follow-on.

Usman Khawaja has copped it for being failing to start in both attempts. He had back spasms after playing the sport the day before the Test, but I do not believe the two were linked.

When the batsman failed on the opening day, Australia advanced Marnus Labuschagne and got stuck.

In promoting the aggressive batsman, who has the experience of starting in white-ball cricket, Australia were able to go on offensive to England.

Future Considerations

Now there is the question of what Australia will do for the next match. I'd like to see them continue the approach of attacking play at the beginning.

That could mean Head remains, meaning someone like Beau Webster comes into the batting lineup, or return to his position and the all-rounder or Josh Inglis could go to the top. It would be tough on the batsman, but occasionally you have to do what the rival team would find most challenging.

Series Outlook

After the first Test was controlled by the pace attack, 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 pacemen for getting the ball in the right place consistently. Overall, batsmen on both sides 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. 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 recovery from 2-0, which is why the venue is such a crucial game.

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