I'd Be Licking My Lips Bowling to the English Team - Glenn McGrath

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For Australia to fight back and win the opening Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, one questions what scars will be inflicted upon the England team.

What are they going to do for the rest of series?

Unexpected Turnaround

I believe no one anticipated what happened on Saturday. When you look at the number of overs required to finish the game, it was the longest format on fast forward.

England were clearly dominant at lunch on the following day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The pitch was still offering assistance. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to re-enter the match.

Shot Selection Woes

From that point, England's shot selection was their major downfall. Scott Boland put in probably his worst performance in an Australia shirt in the first innings, 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, on the up, towards cover region.

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

Adaptation Issues

It demonstrated that England had failed to complete their preparation, are not able to adjust or are reluctant to adapt.

There is much discussion about England's approach, their attacking philosophy. I witnessed it firsthand during the recent series in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to sticking with that method.

It is fine on slow, low pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a approach fraught with danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will struggle for the whole series.

Bowling Perspective

As a paceman, I would have always felt in the game against this England team.

I depended on my accuracy, backing myself to land the identical area on or outside off stump, with a bit of bounce and nip.

Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the idea of facing them, aware one mistake could result in 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 ability, but exceptional athletes have the psychological strength and mindset to be flexible enough for the situation.

They would been stunned at the way events developed 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 bowling. England's attack was excellent on the opening day, then lost the plot when they were attacked on the following day.

In Test cricket, all aspects require a Plan B. Frequently it feels like England have one method, then nowhere to go if that does not work.

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Brilliant Innings

In fairness to England's pace attack, they were hit by 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 match I played in.

My old mate Gilchrist said the performance was the superior of the two. I agree. Considering the challenging nature of the wicket and the situation of the match situation, the innings will go down as a moment of Ashes history.

Tactical Moves

It was a courageous move for Australia to promote the batsman in the lineup for the second innings.

Usman Khawaja has faced criticism for being unable to open in both attempts. He had muscle issues after playing the sport the previous day 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 bogged down.

In promoting the aggressive batsman, who has the experience of opening in white-ball cricket, 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 continue the approach of attacking play at the top of the order.

That could mean Head remains, meaning someone like the all-rounder comes into the batting lineup, or return to number five and the all-rounder or Josh Inglis could move to the top. It would be difficult for Khawaja, but sometimes 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 remaining series will be short, low-scoring Tests.

Perth Stadium is pretty much the quickest, liveliest pitch in the global cricket, so the batsmen should get a some relief from now on.

It is not entirely about the wicket. Credit has to be given to the pacemen for delivering the ball in the correct areas so often. In general, batsmen on both sides will need to look at how they were dismissed.

Pivotal Match

Now we progress to the next venue, and the vastly different day-night conditions for the second Test.

In the historic series, I was part of the national side that overwhelmed England to achieve 5-0. Ashes series in this nation have a tendency of getting away from England rapidly.

At the moment, England are just one match down. There would be no coming back from two down, which is why the venue is such a massive game.

They need to adjust, or the historic urn will be lost again.

Brianna Schultz
Brianna Schultz

Rylan Vance is a passionate gamer and content creator with over a decade of experience in the esports industry, sharing insights and tips.