I Would Be Salivating Facing the English Team - McGrath

• Published
  9 minutes ago
• 4 Comments

For Australia to bounce back and win the opening 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 do not think no one anticipated what transpired on the weekend. When you look at the number of overs taken to complete the game, it was Test cricket on accelerated pace.

England were well on top at the midday break on the second day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The playing surface was still doing plenty. It looked so tough for Australia to re-enter the match.

Shot Selection Woes

From that moment, England's choice of strokes was their major downfall. Scott Boland put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the initial batting, then completely reversed in the subsequent innings to be the driving force for the recovery.

England's batsmen were out attempting to strike balls wide of off-stump, on the up, through the covers.

Attempting runs off those deliveries, with those shots, is the one thing you just should avoid as a batsman in Australia.

Adaptation Issues

It showed that England had not done their preparation, are not able to adapt or are unwilling to adapt.

There is a lot of talk about England's method, their aggressive style. I observed it up close during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and their coach, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to adhering to that method.

It is fine on slow, low pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a approach fraught with danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will face difficulties for the whole series.

Pacer's Viewpoint

As a bowler, I would have always felt 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 nip.

Even if this England team was going well, I'd be licking my lips at the idea of facing them, knowing a single error 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 conditions.

They would been shellshocked at the way things unfolded 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.

Pace Attack Issues

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

In Test cricket, all disciplines require a Plan B. Frequently it seems England have one method, then nowhere to go if that does not work.

'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England collapse in six balls

Head's Masterclass

In defense to England's pace attack, they were hit by one of the memorable Ashes innings by Travis Head.

His century off 69 deliveries was the second quickest by an Australian batsman in the historic rivalry, two overs behind the legendary keeper at the Waca previously – a match I participated in.

My old mate Gilly said Head's innings was the better of the two. I agree. Considering the difficulty of the wicket and the context of the game situation, the innings will be remembered as a moment of Ashes history.

Strategic Decisions

It was a bold and brave move for Australia to elevate Head up the order for the second innings.

The opener has faced criticism for being failing to start in either innings. He had muscle issues after playing golf the day before the Test, but I don't think the two were connected.

When the batsman missed out on day one, Australia promoted Marnus Labuschagne and got stuck.

In moving Head, who has the experience of opening in limited overs, Australia were able to go on offensive to England.

Future Considerations

Now there is the question of what Australia will do for the next match. I'd like to see them continue the method of attacking play at the beginning.

That could mean Head remains, meaning someone like the all-rounder enters the batting lineup, or Head could go back to his position and the all-rounder or Josh Inglis could go to the top. It would be tough on Khawaja, but occasionally you have to do what the rival team would find most challenging.

Tournament Perspective

After the opening match was dominated by the pace attack, questions arise if the rest of series will be brief, low-run 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. Credit has to be given to the pacemen for getting the ball in the right place consistently. In general, batsmen on both sides will need to analyze how they got themselves out.

Crucial Next Test

Now we progress to the next venue, and the vastly different day-night conditions for the following match.

In 2006-07, I was a member of the national side that dominated England to achieve 5-0. Ashes series in this nation have a tendency of slipping from England rapidly.

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 massive game.

They must adapt, or the Ashes will be gone again.