I Would Be Licking My Lips Bowling to England - McGrath

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The Australian team to fight back and win the opening Ashes Test as decisively as they did, one questions what scars will be inflicted upon the England team.

How will they respond for the rest of series?

Surprising Comeback

I believe no one expected what transpired on Saturday. When you look at the number of overs taken 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 nine wickets in hand. The pitch was still offering assistance. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to get back into the match.

Batting Mistakes

From that moment, England's shot selection was their big undoing. The Australian bowler put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the initial batting, then turned it around in the subsequent innings to be the catalyst for the recovery.

England's batters were out attempting to strike balls outside off stump, on the up, through the covers.

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

Adjustment Problems

It showed that England had not done their homework, are not able to adjust or are unwilling to change approach.

There is much discussion about England's approach, their aggressive style. I witnessed it firsthand during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to adhering to that method.

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

Bowling Perspective

As a bowler, I would have consistently believed in the contest against this England team.

I depended on my precision, having confidence to land the identical area around 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 bowling to them, aware a single error could bring three or four wickets.

Skill and Resilience

There are times when England can be a high-quality team. They have talented individuals. Competent cricketers have skill, but great players have the psychological strength and mindset to be flexible enough for the situation.

They would been stunned at the way things unfolded at the venue, crushed at the way they were defeated. Now we will see what they are capable of. Even as a loyal Australian, I somewhat wants to see them change, just to show they can improve.

Bowling Concerns

It was almost the same with their bowling. England's bowling unit was very good on the first evening, then lost the plot when they were put under pressure on the following day.

In the longest format, all aspects require a backup strategy. Quite often it seems England have a single approach, then nowhere to go if that does not work.

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Head's Masterclass

In defense to England's pace attack, 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, 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 better of the two. I concur. Given the challenging nature of the wicket and the situation of the game situation, the innings will be remembered as a moment of cricket lore.

Tactical Moves

It was a courageous move for Australia to promote the batsman in the lineup for the follow-on.

The opener has faced criticism for being unable to open in both attempts. He had back spasms after playing the sport the previous day the Test, but I don't think the two were linked.

When the batsman failed on the opening day, Australia advanced their number three and got stuck.

In moving Head, who has the experience of opening 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 aggression at the top of the order.

That could mean Head remains, meaning a player such as Beau Webster enters the batting lineup, or Head could go back to number five and Mitchell Marsh or Josh Inglis could go to the top. It would be tough on the batsman, but sometimes you have to do what the opposition would find most challenging.

Tournament Perspective

After the opening match was controlled by the bowlers, some are wondering if the remaining series will be brief, low-run Tests.

The venue is pretty much the fastest, bounciest pitch in the global cricket, so the batsmen should get a little bit of relief from now on.

It is not all about the pitch. Recognition has to be awarded to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the correct areas consistently. In general, batsmen on both sides will need to look at how they were dismissed.

Crucial Next Test

Now we move on to the next venue, and the completely distinct twilight conditions for the following match.

In 2006-07, I was part of the Australia team that overwhelmed England to achieve 5-0. The rivalry in this nation have a habit of getting away from England quickly.

At the present, England are only 1-0 down. There would be no coming back from two down, which is why Brisbane is such a massive game.

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