I'd Be Salivating Facing the English Team - McGrath

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The Australian team to bounce back and win the first Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, one questions what psychological damage will be inflicted upon the England team.

How will they respond for the rest of series?

Unexpected Turnaround

I do not think no one expected what happened on Saturday. When you examine the quantity of deliveries taken to complete the game, it was the longest format on fast forward.

England were well on top at the midday break on the second day, 105 ahead with nine wickets in hand. The playing surface was still offering assistance. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to re-enter the match.

Batting Mistakes

From that point, England's choice of strokes was their big undoing. The Australian bowler put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the first innings, then completely reversed in the subsequent innings to be the catalyst for the comeback.

England's batters were out attempting to strike balls outside off stump, on the up, through the covers.

Trying to score 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 failed to complete their homework, are unable to adapt or are reluctant to adapt.

There is much discussion about England's approach, their aggressive style. I observed it up close during the recent series in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to adhering to that strategy.

It is acceptable on slow, low pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a method fraught with danger. If England do not reassess, they will struggle 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 accuracy, backing myself to hit the same spot around off stump, with a bit of 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.

Skill and Resilience

There are times when England can be a high-quality team. They have talented individuals. Good players have skill, but exceptional athletes have the mental toughness and mindset to be flexible enough for the situation.

They would been shellshocked at the way things unfolded at Perth Stadium, crushed 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 improve.

Pace Attack Issues

It was almost the same with their pace attack. England's attack was very good 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. Quite often it seems England have a single approach, then no alternatives if that fails.

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Brilliant Innings

In fairness to England's bowlers, 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 Perth ground previously – a match I played in.

My old mate Gilchrist said the performance was the better of the two. I agree. Considering the challenging nature of the pitch and the context of the match situation, the innings will go down as a highlight of cricket lore.

Strategic Decisions

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

Usman Khawaja has copped it for being unable to open in either innings. He had back spasms after playing golf the previous day the Test, but I don't think the two were connected.

When the batsman failed on day one, Australia advanced Marnus Labuschagne and got bogged down.

In moving Head, who has the confidence of opening in white-ball cricket, Australia were able to go on offensive to England.

Upcoming Decisions

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

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning a player such as the all-rounder enters the middle order, or Head could go back to his position and Mitchell Marsh or Josh Inglis could go 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 controlled by the bowlers, questions arise if the rest of series will be short, low-scoring Tests.

Perth Stadium is essentially the fastest, bounciest pitch in the world, so the batsmen should get a some respite from now on.

It is not all about the wicket. Credit has to be awarded to the pacemen for getting the ball in the right place so often. In general, batters on both sides will need to look at how they were dismissed.

Pivotal Match

Now we progress to Brisbane, and the vastly different twilight conditions for the second Test.

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

At the moment, England are just one match down. There would be no coming back from 2-0, which is why the venue is such a massive game.

They must adapt, or the historic urn will be gone again.