I Would Be Salivating Bowling to England - Glenn McGrath

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The Australian team to bounce back and claim victory in the first Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what scars will be inflicted upon 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 quantity of deliveries taken to finish the game, it was the longest format on fast forward.

England were clearly dominant at the midday break on the following day, 105 ahead with most wickets in hand. The playing surface was still doing plenty. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to get back into the match.

Shot Selection Woes

From that moment, England's choice of strokes was their major downfall. The Australian bowler put in probably his worst performance in an Australia shirt in the first innings, then turned it around in the second to be the driving force for the comeback.

England's batsmen were out attempting to strike balls wide of off-stump, in the air, towards cover region.

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 demonstrated that England had failed to complete their preparation, are unable to adapt or are reluctant to adapt.

There is much discussion about England's method, their attacking philosophy. I witnessed it firsthand during the recent series in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, they can be quite rigid when it comes to adhering to that method.

It is fine on slow, low pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a method full of danger. If England do not reassess, they will struggle for the whole series.

Pacer's Viewpoint

As a paceman, I would have consistently believed in the contest against this England team.

I relied on my accuracy, backing myself 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 idea of bowling to them, knowing a single error could bring multiple wickets.

Skill and Resilience

There are occasions when England can be a high-quality team. They have good players. Competent cricketers have ability, but exceptional athletes have the mental toughness and mindset to be adaptable enough for the situation.

They would been stunned at the way events developed at Perth Stadium, devastated at the way they were defeated. Now we will see what they are capable of. Even as a true blue Australian, I somewhat wants to see them adapt, just to show they can improve.

Pace Attack Issues

It was similar with their pace attack. England's bowling unit was very good on the first evening, then lost the plot when they were put under pressure on the following day.

In the longest format, all aspects require a backup strategy. Frequently it seems England have one method, then no alternatives if that fails.

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Brilliant Innings

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

His century off 69 deliveries was the second quickest by an Australian batsman in Ashes cricket, 12 balls behind Adam Gilchrist at the Perth ground 19 years ago – a game I participated in.

My former teammate Gilchrist said the performance was the better of the two. I agree. Given the difficulty of the wicket and the situation of the match circumstances, 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 follow-on.

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 don't think the two were linked.

When the batsman failed on the opening day, Australia advanced their number three and got bogged down.

In moving the aggressive batsman, who has the experience of opening in limited overs, Australia were able to take the attack to England.

Future Considerations

Now there is the issue of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them continue the approach of attacking play at the top of the order.

That could mean Head remains, meaning someone like the all-rounder comes into the middle order, or return to his position and the all-rounder or the keeper could go to the top. It would be difficult for Khawaja, but sometimes you have to do what the rival team would find most uncomfortable.

Series Outlook

After the opening match was controlled by the pace attack, some are wondering if the remaining series will be brief, low-run Tests.

The venue is pretty much the fastest, bounciest pitch in the world, so the batters should get a some relief from here onward.

It is not all about the wicket. Credit has to be awarded to the pacemen for delivering the ball in the correct areas consistently. Overall, batsmen on both sides will need to analyze how they were dismissed.

Crucial Next Test

Now we progress to Brisbane, and the completely distinct twilight conditions for the following match.

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

At the moment, England are just one match down. There would be no recovery from two down, which is why the venue is such a crucial game.

They need to adjust, or the historic urn will be lost once more.