I'd Be Licking My Lips Facing England - Glenn McGrath

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The Australian team to bounce back and claim victory in the opening Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, one questions what psychological damage will be inflicted upon the England team.

What are they going to do for the remaining series?

Surprising Comeback

I do not think anyone expected what happened on the weekend. 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 second day, 105 ahead with most wickets in hand. The playing surface was still doing plenty. It looked so tough for Australia to get back into the match.

Batting Mistakes

From that moment, 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 comeback.

England's batsmen were out trying to hit balls wide of off-stump, on the up, towards cover region.

Trying to score off those deliveries, with those strokes, is the one thing you just do not do as a batter in Australia.

Adaptation Issues

It showed that England had not done their preparation, are unable to adjust or are reluctant to change approach.

There is a lot of talk about England's method, their aggressive style. I witnessed it up close during the recent series in the UK. Under their captain and their coach, they can be quite rigid when it comes to adhering to that strategy.

It is acceptable on slow, low pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a method full of danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will struggle for the entire series.

Pacer's Viewpoint

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

I depended on my precision, backing myself to hit the same spot on or outside off stump, with a bit of bounce and nip.

Even if this England team was going well, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the prospect of bowling to them, aware a single error could bring three or four wickets.

Skill and Resilience

There are occasions when England can be a top-class team. They have good players. Good players have skill, but great players have the psychological strength and attitude to be adaptable enough for the situation.

They would been shellshocked at the way events developed at the venue, devastated at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a true blue Australian, I somewhat 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 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 hit by one of the great Ashes innings by Travis Head.

His century off 69 deliveries was the second fastest by an Australian man in the historic rivalry, two overs behind the legendary keeper at the Waca previously – a match I participated in.

My former teammate Gilchrist said the performance was the better of the two. I concur. Considering the difficulty of the pitch and the context of the match situation, Head's knock will go down as a moment of Ashes history.

Strategic Decisions

It was a courageous move for Australia to elevate Head up the order for the follow-on.

Usman Khawaja has copped it for being failing to start in both attempts. He had muscle issues after playing golf the previous day the Test, but I don't think the two were connected.

When the batsman failed on the opening day, Australia promoted their number three and got bogged down.

In moving Head, who has the experience of starting in limited overs, Australia were able to go on offensive to England.

Upcoming Decisions

Now there is the issue of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them continue the method of attacking play at the beginning.

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning a player such as the all-rounder enters the batting lineup, or Head could go back to his position and the all-rounder or Josh Inglis could go to the opening. It would be difficult for Khawaja, but occasionally you have to do what the opposition would find most uncomfortable.

Series Outlook

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 world, so the batsmen should get a little bit of relief from now on.

It is not entirely about the pitch. Credit has to be given to the pacemen for getting the ball in the correct areas consistently. In general, batters 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 2006-07, I was a member of the Australia team that overwhelmed England to win 5-0. Ashes series 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 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.

Ricky Fritz
Ricky Fritz

Elara is a seasoned sports analyst with a passion for data-driven betting strategies and helping others succeed in the world of parlays.

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