I'd Be Licking My Lips Bowling to the English Team - McGrath

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

What are they going to do for the remaining series?

Surprising Comeback

I do not think no one anticipated what transpired on Saturday. When you look at the number of overs required to finish the game, it was Test cricket on accelerated pace.

England were well on top at the midday break on the following day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to re-enter the match.

Shot Selection Woes

From that moment, England's choice of strokes was their big undoing. The Australian bowler put in arguably his poorest performance in an national colors in the first innings, then turned it around in the second to be the catalyst for the comeback.

England's batters were out attempting to strike balls outside off stump, on the up, towards cover region.

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 not done their preparation, are unable to adapt or are unwilling 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 their captain and their coach, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to adhering to that method.

It is acceptable on sluggish pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a approach full of danger. If England do not reassess, 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 precision, backing myself to land the same spot around off stump, with a some bounce and movement.

Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be licking my lips at the prospect of bowling to them, aware one mistake could bring multiple 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 mental toughness and attitude to be flexible enough for the conditions.

They would been shellshocked at the way things unfolded at the venue, crushed at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a true blue Australian, part of me wants to see them adapt, just to show they can improve.

Pace Attack Issues

It was almost the same with their bowling. England's attack was very good on the opening day, then lost direction when they were put under pressure on the following day.

In the longest format, all disciplines require a backup strategy. Frequently it seems England have a single approach, then no alternatives if that fails.

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Head's Masterclass

In fairness to England's pace attack, they were confronted with one of the memorable Ashes innings by the Australian batsman.

His 69-ball hundred was the second quickest by an Australian man in the historic rivalry, two overs behind the legendary keeper at the Waca 19 years ago – a game I participated in.

My former teammate Gilly said the performance was the superior of the two. I agree. Considering the challenging nature of the wicket and the situation of the game circumstances, Head's knock will be remembered as a highlight of Ashes history.

Strategic Decisions

It was a courageous move for Australia to elevate the batsman up the order 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 don't think the two were connected.

When Khawaja missed out on day one, Australia advanced their number three and got bogged down.

In promoting Head, who has the experience of opening 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 next match. I'd like to see them continue the method of aggression at the beginning.

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning someone like Beau Webster comes into the batting lineup, or Head could go back to his position and Mitchell Marsh or the keeper could move to the top. It would be tough on the batsman, but sometimes you have to do what the rival team would find most uncomfortable.

Tournament Perspective

After the opening match was controlled by the bowlers, some are wondering if the rest of series will be brief, low-run Tests.

The venue is essentially the quickest, liveliest pitch in the global cricket, so the batsmen should get a some respite from now on.

It is not entirely about the pitch. Recognition has to be awarded to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the correct areas so often. In general, batters on both sides will need to analyze how they got themselves out.

Pivotal Match

Now we move on to the next venue, and the completely distinct twilight conditions for the second Test.

In 2006-07, I was a member of the national side that dominated England to win 5-0. The rivalry in this country have a tendency of slipping from England quickly.

At the present, England are only 1-0 down. There would be no recovery from 2-0, which is why Brisbane is such a crucial game.

They must adapt, or the historic urn will be lost once more.

Christina Brewer
Christina Brewer

A seasoned gaming enthusiast with over a decade of experience in online casino reviews and strategy development.