I Would Be Licking My Lips Bowling to the English Team - Glenn 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 scars will be left on the England team.
What are they going to do for the remaining series?
Unexpected Turnaround
I believe no one anticipated what happened on Saturday. When you examine the quantity of deliveries taken to finish the game, it was the longest format on fast forward.
England were clearly dominant at lunch on the second day, 105 ahead with most wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to re-enter the match.
Batting Mistakes
From that moment, England's choice of strokes was their major downfall. The Australian bowler put in probably his worst performance in an national colors in the first innings, then completely reversed in the subsequent innings to be the catalyst for the recovery.
England's batsmen were out trying to hit balls wide of off-stump, in the air, towards cover region.
Trying to score off those deliveries, with those strokes, is the precise action you just should avoid as a batsman 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 up close during the recent series in the UK. Under their captain and Brendon McCullum, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to adhering to that strategy.
It is acceptable 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 entire series.
Pacer's Viewpoint
As a bowler, I would have consistently believed in the contest against this England team.
I relied on my accuracy, backing myself to hit the identical area around 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, knowing a single error could result in three or four wickets.
Quality and Mental Toughness
There are times when England can be a high-quality team. They have good players. Competent cricketers have ability, but great players have the psychological strength and attitude to be flexible enough for the situation.
They would been shellshocked at the way events developed at the venue, crushed at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are capable of. Even as a true blue Australian, I somewhat wants to see them change, just to show they can improve.
Pace Attack Issues
It was almost the same with their bowling. England's bowling unit was excellent on the first evening, then lost the plot when they were put under pressure on the following day.
In Test cricket, all disciplines require a Plan B. Frequently it seems England have a single approach, then nowhere to go if that does not work.
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Head's Masterclass
In fairness to England's pace attack, they were hit by 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 Adam Gilchrist at the Perth ground 19 years ago – a game I played in.
My old mate Gilchrist said Head's innings was the better of the two. I agree. Considering the challenging nature of the wicket and the context of the game circumstances, Head's knock 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 golf the day before the Test, but I do not believe the two were linked.
When the batsman missed out on the opening day, Australia promoted Marnus Labuschagne and got stuck.
In promoting the aggressive batsman, who has the confidence of starting in white-ball cricket, Australia were able to go on offensive to England.
Upcoming Decisions
Now there is the issue of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them stick with the approach of aggression at the beginning.
That could mean continuation at the top, meaning a player such as the all-rounder enters the batting lineup, or return to his position and Mitchell Marsh or Josh Inglis could move to the opening. It would be tough on the batsman, but sometimes you have to do what the opposition 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 short, low-scoring Tests.
The venue is essentially the quickest, liveliest pitch in the world, so the batsmen should get a some relief from now on.
It is not entirely about the wicket. Credit has to be given to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the correct areas consistently. Overall, batters on both sides will need to look at how they were dismissed.
Crucial Next Test
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 Australia team that dominated England to achieve 5-0. Ashes series in this nation 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 two down, which is why Brisbane is such a crucial game.
They need to adjust, or the historic urn will be lost once more.