I Would Be Salivating Facing England - McGrath
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For Australia to bounce back and claim victory in the opening Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what psychological damage will be left on the England team.
How will they respond for the rest of series?
Unexpected Turnaround
I do not think anyone expected what transpired on Saturday. When you examine the quantity of deliveries taken to complete the game, it was Test cricket on accelerated pace.
England were clearly dominant at lunch on the following day, leading by 105 runs with nine wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to get back into the match.
Batting Mistakes
From that point, England's shot selection was their big undoing. Scott Boland put in probably his worst performance in an Australia shirt in the first innings, then turned it around in the second to be the driving force for the comeback.
England's batsmen were out attempting to strike balls outside off stump, in the air, towards cover region.
Attempting runs off those bowls, with those strokes, is the precise action you just do not do as a batter in Australia.
Adaptation Issues
It showed that England had failed to complete their homework, are unable to adjust or are unwilling to adapt.
There is much discussion about England's method, their attacking philosophy. I observed it up close during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and their coach, they can be quite rigid when it comes to adhering to that strategy.
It is acceptable on sluggish pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a approach full of danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will struggle for the entire series.
Bowling Perspective
As a paceman, I would have always felt in the game against this England team.
I depended on my precision, backing myself to land the same spot around off stump, with a some bounce and nip.
Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the prospect of bowling to them, aware one mistake could result in three or four wickets.
Skill and Resilience
There are occasions when England can be a high-quality 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 stunned at the way things unfolded at the venue, devastated at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are capable of. Even as a loyal Australian, I somewhat wants to see them adapt, just to show they can improve.
Bowling Concerns
It was almost the same with their pace attack. England's bowling unit was very good on the first evening, then lost the plot when they were attacked on the following day.
In the longest format, all aspects require a Plan B. Quite often it seems England have one method, then no alternatives if that does not work.
'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England lose third wicket in quick succession
Brilliant Innings
In fairness 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 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 old mate Gilly said the performance was the better of the two. I agree. Given the challenging nature of the pitch and the context of the match situation, Head's knock will go down as a moment of Ashes history.
Tactical Moves
It was a bold and brave move for Australia to elevate Head in the lineup for the second innings.
The opener has faced criticism for being failing to start in either innings. He had muscle issues after playing the sport the previous day the Test, but I don't think the two were linked.
When Khawaja failed on day one, Australia promoted their number three and got stuck.
In promoting the aggressive batsman, who has the experience of starting in limited overs, Australia were able to go on offensive to England.
Future Considerations
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 beginning.
That could mean Head remains, meaning a player such as the all-rounder comes into the middle order, or return to his position 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 challenging.
Series Outlook
After the opening match was controlled by the bowlers, some are wondering if the rest of series will be brief, low-run Tests.
Perth Stadium is essentially the fastest, bounciest pitch in the world, so the batsmen should get a little bit of relief from here onward.
It is not all about the wicket. Credit has to be given to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the right place consistently. Overall, batters 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 day-night conditions for the second Test.
In 2006-07, I was part of the national side that overwhelmed England to achieve 5-0. Ashes series in this country have a tendency of slipping from England rapidly.
At the present, England are just one match down. There would be no recovery from two down, which is why Brisbane is such a massive game.
They must adapt, or the historic urn will be lost again.
