I Would Be Salivating Bowling to England - McGrath
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For Australia to bounce back and win the first Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, one questions what psychological damage will be left on the England team.
How will they respond for the rest of series?
Unexpected Turnaround
I believe anyone anticipated what happened on the weekend. When you examine the number of overs taken to complete the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.
England were clearly dominant at the midday break on the following day, leading by 105 runs with nine wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. It looked so tough for Australia to get back into the match.
Shot Selection Woes
From that point, England's choice of strokes was their big undoing. The Australian bowler 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 batters were out attempting to strike balls wide of off-stump, on the up, towards cover region.
Attempting runs off those deliveries, with those strokes, is the precise action you just do not do as a batter in Australia.
Adjustment Problems
It showed that England had not done their homework, are unable to adjust or are unwilling to change approach.
There is a lot of talk about England's approach, their aggressive style. I observed it firsthand during the recent series in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, they can be quite rigid when it comes to sticking with that method.
It is acceptable on sluggish pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a approach full of danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will face difficulties for the entire series.
Bowling Perspective
As a bowler, I would have always felt in the game against this England team.
I relied on my accuracy, having confidence to hit the same spot on or outside off stump, with a some bounce and movement.
Even if this England team was going well, I'd be licking my lips at the prospect of bowling to them, aware one mistake could result in multiple wickets.
Quality and Mental Toughness
There are times when England can be a top-class team. They have good players. Competent cricketers have skill, but great players have the psychological strength and mindset to be adaptable enough for the conditions.
They would been stunned at the way events developed at the venue, devastated at the way they were defeated. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a loyal Australian, I somewhat wants to see them change, just to show they can get better.
Bowling Concerns
It was similar with their bowling. England's bowling unit was very good on the first evening, then lost the plot when they were attacked on the second night.
In the longest format, all aspects require a Plan B. Quite often it seems England have one method, then no alternatives if that fails.
'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England lose third wicket in six balls
Brilliant Innings
In defense to England's pace attack, they were confronted with one of the great Ashes innings by Travis Head.
His 69-ball hundred was the second fastest by an Australian batsman in Ashes cricket, 12 balls behind the legendary keeper at the Perth ground 19 years ago – a match I played in.
My former teammate Gilchrist said Head's innings was the better of the two. I concur. Considering the challenging nature of the wicket and the situation of the game circumstances, Head's knock will go down as a moment of cricket lore.
Tactical Moves
It was a courageous move for Australia to promote Head up the order for the second innings.
Usman Khawaja has faced criticism for being failing to start in either innings. He had back spasms after playing the sport the previous day the Test, but I don't think the two were connected.
When the batsman missed out on the opening day, Australia promoted their number three and got stuck.
In moving Head, who has the confidence of starting in limited overs, Australia were able to go on offensive to England.
Upcoming Decisions
Now there is the question of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them continue the approach of aggression at the beginning.
That could mean Head remains, meaning someone like Beau Webster enters the middle order, or Head could go back to number five and Mitchell Marsh or Josh Inglis could move to the top. It would be difficult for the batsman, but sometimes you have to do what the rival team would find most uncomfortable.
Tournament Perspective
After the opening match was dominated by the bowlers, some are wondering if the rest of 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 respite from here onward.
It is not all about the pitch. Recognition has to be awarded to the pacemen for getting the ball in the right place consistently. In general, batters on each team 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 the historic series, I was part of the Australia team that dominated England to win 5-0. Ashes series in this country have a tendency of getting away from England quickly.
At the present, England are only 1-0 down. There would be no coming back from 2-0, which is why Brisbane is such a crucial game.
They must adapt, or the historic urn will be lost again.
