🔗 Share this article I Would Be Salivating Bowling to the English Team - Glenn McGrath Published9 minutes ago 4 Comments For Australia to bounce back and claim victory in the first Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, one questions what scars 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 look at the number of overs required to complete the game, it was the longest format on fast forward. England were well on top at lunch on the second day, 105 ahead with most wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. It looked so tough for Australia to re-enter the match. Shot Selection Woes From that point, England's choice of strokes was their major downfall. Scott Boland put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the first innings, then turned it around in the second to be the catalyst for the recovery. England's batsmen were out attempting to strike balls wide of off-stump, on the up, through the covers. Trying to score off those bowls, with those strokes, is the precise action you just do not do as a batsman in Australia. Adaptation Issues It showed that England had not done their homework, are unable to adapt or are unwilling to adapt. There is a lot of talk about England's approach, their attacking philosophy. I observed it firsthand during the recent series in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and their coach, they can be quite rigid when it comes to sticking with that strategy. It is acceptable on slow, low pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a approach full of danger. If England do not reassess, they will struggle for the whole series. Bowling Perspective As a paceman, I would have always felt in the contest against this England team. I depended on my accuracy, having confidence to land the identical area 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, knowing a single error could bring multiple wickets. Skill and Resilience There are times when England can be a high-quality team. They have talented individuals. Good players have ability, but great players have the mental toughness and attitude to be adaptable enough for the situation. They would been shellshocked at the way things unfolded at Perth Stadium, devastated at the way they were defeated. 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 get better. Bowling Concerns It was similar with their pace attack. England's attack was very good on the first evening, then lost direction when they were attacked on the second night. In Test cricket, all disciplines require a Plan B. Frequently it feels like England have one method, then nowhere to go if that fails. 'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England collapse in six balls Head's Masterclass In defense to England's bowlers, they were hit by one of the memorable Ashes innings by the Australian batsman. His 69-ball hundred was the second quickest by an Australian man in Ashes cricket, 12 balls behind the legendary keeper at the Perth ground 19 years ago – a game I participated in. My former teammate Gilly said the performance was the better of the two. I agree. Considering the challenging nature of the pitch 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 elevate Head in the lineup for the second innings. Usman Khawaja has faced criticism for being failing to start in either innings. He had back spasms after playing golf the previous day the Test, but I do not believe the two were linked. When the batsman failed on the opening day, Australia advanced 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 issue of what Australia will do for the next match. I'd like to see them stick with the method of aggression at the beginning. That could mean continuation at the top, meaning a player such as the all-rounder comes into the batting lineup, or return to his position and the all-rounder or Josh Inglis could go to the opening. It would be tough on the batsman, but sometimes you have to do what the rival team would find most challenging. Series Outlook After the opening match was dominated by the pace attack, some are wondering if the rest of series will be brief, low-run Tests. Perth Stadium is pretty much the quickest, liveliest pitch in the global cricket, so the batters should get a some relief from here onward. It is not entirely about the pitch. Credit has to be awarded to the pacemen for delivering the ball in the correct areas so often. In general, batters on each team will need to look at how they got themselves out. Pivotal Match Now we progress to Brisbane, and the completely distinct twilight conditions for the second Test. In 2006-07, I was a member of the Australia team that dominated England to achieve 5-0. Ashes series in this country have a habit of getting away from England rapidly. At the present, England are only 1-0 down. There would be no coming back from two down, which is why the venue is such a massive game. They need to adjust, or the Ashes will be lost again.