I'd Be Salivating Facing England - Glenn McGrath

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For Australia to bounce back and win the first Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what psychological damage will be left on the England team.

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

Unexpected Turnaround

I believe no one anticipated what transpired on the weekend. 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 the midday break on the second day, 105 ahead with most wickets in hand. The playing surface was still doing plenty. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to re-enter the match.

Shot Selection Woes

From that moment, England's shot selection was their major downfall. The Australian bowler put in probably his worst performance in an national colors in the first innings, then turned it around in the subsequent innings to be the driving force for the recovery.

England's batters were out attempting to strike balls outside off stump, on the up, towards cover region.

Trying to score off those deliveries, with those shots, is the precise action you just do not do as a batsman in Australia.

Adjustment Problems

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

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

It is acceptable on sluggish pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a method full of danger. If England do not reassess, they will struggle for the entire 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 movement.

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

Quality and Mental Toughness

There are occasions when England can be a top-class team. They have good players. Good players have ability, but exceptional athletes have the psychological strength and attitude to be flexible enough for the conditions.

They would been shellshocked at the way events developed at Perth Stadium, devastated at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a loyal Australian, I somewhat wants to see them adapt, just to show they can get better.

Pace Attack Issues

It was similar 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 aspects require a backup strategy. Frequently it feels like England have one method, then nowhere to go if that fails.

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Brilliant Innings

In fairness to England's bowlers, they were hit by one of the memorable Ashes innings by Travis Head.

His century off 69 deliveries was the second fastest by an Australian batsman in the historic rivalry, 12 balls behind the legendary keeper at the Waca 19 years ago – a game I played in.

My former teammate Gilly said Head's innings was the superior of the two. I concur. Given the difficulty of the pitch and the context of the match situation, the innings will go down as a highlight of Ashes history.

Strategic Decisions

It was a bold and brave move for Australia to elevate the batsman in the lineup for the second innings.

The opener has faced criticism for being failing to start in both attempts. He had muscle issues after playing the sport the day before 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 promoting the aggressive batsman, who has the experience of opening 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 next match. I'd like to see them continue the approach of attacking play at the beginning.

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning someone like the all-rounder enters the batting lineup, or return to number five and the all-rounder or the keeper could move to the top. It would be tough on the batsman, but sometimes you have to do what the opposition would find most challenging.

Series Outlook

After the first Test was controlled by the pace attack, some are wondering if the rest of series will be short, low-scoring 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 entirely about the pitch. Credit has to be given to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the right place consistently. Overall, batsmen on both sides will need to analyze how they were dismissed.

Pivotal Match

Now we move on to Brisbane, and the completely distinct twilight conditions for the second Test.

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

At the moment, England are only 1-0 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 once more.