I'd Be Salivating Bowling to England - McGrath

• Published
  9 minutes ago
• 4 Comments

For Australia to fight back and claim victory in the opening Ashes Test so convincingly 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?

Surprising Comeback

I believe anyone anticipated what transpired on the weekend. When you look at the quantity of deliveries taken to complete the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.

England were well on top at lunch on the following day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The playing surface was still offering assistance. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to get back into the match.

Shot Selection Woes

From that moment, England's shot selection was their major downfall. Scott Boland put in probably his worst performance in an national colors in the initial batting, then completely reversed in the second to be the catalyst for the comeback.

England's batters were out trying to hit balls outside off stump, in the air, towards cover region.

Attempting runs off those bowls, with those shots, is the one thing you just do not do as a batter 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 method, their attacking philosophy. I observed it firsthand 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 fine on sluggish pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a method full of danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will face difficulties for the whole series.

Pacer's Viewpoint

As a paceman, I would have always felt in the contest against this England team.

I relied on my precision, backing myself to hit the identical area around off stump, with a bit of bounce and movement.

Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the prospect of bowling to them, aware one mistake could bring three or four wickets.

Skill and Resilience

There are times when England can be a top-class team. They have talented individuals. Good players have skill, but exceptional athletes have the mental toughness and attitude to be adaptable enough for the situation.

They would been shellshocked at the way things unfolded at the venue, crushed at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a loyal Australian, part of me wants to see them adapt, just to show they can get better.

Bowling Concerns

It was similar with their bowling. England's attack was very good on the opening day, then lost the plot when they were attacked on the following day.

In the longest format, all aspects require a backup strategy. 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

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 quickest by an Australian man in the historic rivalry, 12 balls behind the legendary keeper at the Waca 19 years ago – a match I played in.

My former teammate Gilly said Head's innings was the superior of the two. I concur. Considering the challenging nature of the pitch and the situation of the match situation, Head's knock will go down as a moment of cricket lore.

Tactical Moves

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 the sport the previous day the Test, but I do not believe the two were connected.

When Khawaja missed out on the opening day, Australia promoted Marnus Labuschagne and got stuck.

In promoting the aggressive batsman, who has the confidence of opening 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 method of aggression at the beginning.

That could mean Head remains, meaning someone like Beau Webster comes into the batting lineup, or Head could go back to his position and Mitchell Marsh or the keeper could go to the opening. It would be tough on the batsman, but occasionally you have to do what the opposition would find most challenging.

Series Outlook

After the opening match was dominated by the pace attack, questions arise if the rest of series will be short, low-scoring Tests.

The venue is pretty much the quickest, liveliest pitch in the world, so the batsmen should get a some respite from now on.

It is not entirely about the pitch. Recognition has to be awarded to the pacemen for delivering the ball in the correct areas so often. In general, batsmen on each team will need to analyze how they were dismissed.

Pivotal Match

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

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

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

They need to adjust, or the Ashes will be gone once more.