I Would Be Salivating Facing England - McGrath
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The Australian team to bounce back and win the first Ashes Test as decisively as they did, one questions what scars will be left on the England team.
How will they respond for the remaining series?
Surprising Comeback
I believe no one anticipated what transpired on the weekend. When you examine the quantity of deliveries required to complete the game, it was the longest format on fast forward.
England were clearly dominant at the midday break on the second day, 105 ahead with nine wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. It looked so tough for Australia to get back into the match.
Shot Selection Woes
From that moment, England's choice of strokes was their big undoing. The Australian bowler put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the first innings, then turned it around in the second to be the driving force for the recovery.
England's batters were out trying to hit balls outside off stump, on the up, through the covers.
Attempting runs off those deliveries, 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 not able to adjust or are unwilling to adapt.
There is much discussion about England's approach, their aggressive style. I observed it up close during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under their captain and Brendon McCullum, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to sticking with that strategy.
It is acceptable on sluggish pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a method fraught with danger. If England do not reassess, they will face difficulties for the entire series.
Pacer's Viewpoint
As a paceman, I would have always felt in the contest against this England team.
I depended on my accuracy, backing myself 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 licking my lips at the idea of bowling to them, knowing a single error could result in multiple wickets.
Quality and Mental Toughness
There are times when England can be a high-quality team. They have talented individuals. Good players have skill, but exceptional athletes have the psychological strength and attitude to be flexible enough for the situation.
They would been shellshocked at the way events developed 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, part of me wants to see them adapt, just to show they can get better.
Pace Attack Issues
It was almost the same with their bowling. England's attack was very good on the opening day, then lost direction when they were put under pressure on the second night.
In the longest format, all disciplines require a backup strategy. Quite often it seems England have a single approach, then no alternatives if that fails.
'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England lose third wicket in quick succession
Brilliant Innings
In defense to England's bowlers, they were confronted with one of the memorable Ashes innings by Travis Head.
His 69-ball hundred was the second quickest by an Australian man in Ashes cricket, 12 balls behind Adam Gilchrist at the Perth ground previously – a game I played in.
My former teammate Gilly said Head's innings was the superior of the two. I agree. Considering the difficulty of the pitch and the situation of the match circumstances, Head's knock will be remembered as a highlight of Ashes history.
Strategic Decisions
It was a bold and brave move for Australia to promote Head in the lineup for the follow-on.
The opener has faced criticism for being failing to start in both attempts. He had back spasms after playing golf the previous day the Test, but I don't think the two were connected.
When the batsman failed on day one, Australia advanced Marnus Labuschagne and got bogged down.
In promoting the aggressive batsman, who has the confidence of starting in white-ball cricket, Australia were able to take the attack to England.
Upcoming Decisions
Now there is the issue of what Australia will do for the next match. 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 enters the batting lineup, or return to number five and Mitchell Marsh or the keeper 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 dominated by the pace attack, some are wondering if the rest of series will be brief, low-run Tests.
Perth Stadium is pretty much the fastest, bounciest pitch in the global cricket, so the batters should get a some respite from here onward.
It is not entirely about the pitch. Credit has to be awarded to the bowlers for getting the ball in the right place so often. In general, batsmen on both sides will need to look at how they got themselves out.
Crucial Next Test
Now we move on to Brisbane, and the completely distinct twilight conditions for the following match.
In 2006-07, I was a member of the Australia team that dominated England to win 5-0. The rivalry in this nation have a tendency of getting away from England quickly.
At the moment, England are just one match 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 lost again.
