I Would Be Salivating Bowling to England - McGrath
- Published
- 4 Comments
The Australian team to fight back and claim victory in the opening Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, you wonder what scars will be inflicted upon the England team.
How will they respond for the remaining series?
Unexpected Turnaround
I do not think no one expected what happened on the weekend. When you look at the quantity of deliveries required to finish the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.
England were clearly dominant at the midday break on the second day, 105 ahead with most wickets in hand. The playing surface was still doing plenty. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to re-enter the match.
Batting Mistakes
From that moment, England's shot selection was their big undoing. Scott Boland put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the initial batting, then turned it around in the second to be the catalyst for the comeback.
England's batters were out attempting to strike balls wide of off-stump, in the air, through the covers.
Attempting runs off those bowls, with those shots, is the one thing you just do not do as a batsman in Australia.
Adjustment Problems
It showed that England had failed to complete their preparation, are not able to adjust or are unwilling to adapt.
There is a lot of talk about England's approach, their attacking philosophy. I observed it up close 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 slow, low pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a approach full of danger. If England do not reassess, they will struggle for the whole series.
Bowling Perspective
As a paceman, I would have always felt in the contest against this England team.
I relied on my precision, backing myself to hit the identical area on or outside off stump, with a some bounce and nip.
Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be licking my lips at the idea of facing them, knowing a single error could result in multiple wickets.
Skill and Resilience
There are occasions when England can be a high-quality team. They have talented individuals. Good players have skill, but exceptional athletes have the psychological strength and attitude to be adaptable enough for the situation.
They would been shellshocked at the way events developed at the venue, devastated at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are capable of. Even as a loyal 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 attack was excellent on the first evening, then lost direction when they were put under pressure on the following day.
In the longest format, all disciplines require a Plan B. Quite often it seems England have one method, then nowhere to go if that fails.
'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England collapse in quick succession
Head's Masterclass
In fairness to England's bowlers, they were confronted with one of the great Ashes innings by the Australian batsman.
His century off 69 deliveries was the second quickest by an Australian batsman in the historic rivalry, 12 balls behind Adam Gilchrist at the Perth ground 19 years ago – a match I participated in.
My former teammate Gilchrist said Head's innings was the better of the two. I concur. Given the challenging nature of the wicket and the situation of the match situation, Head's knock will be remembered as a highlight of cricket lore.
Tactical Moves
It was a courageous move for Australia to promote Head in the lineup for the follow-on.
Usman Khawaja 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 connected.
When the batsman failed on day one, Australia advanced their number three and got bogged down.
In promoting Head, who has the confidence of starting in limited overs, Australia were able to go on offensive to England.
Upcoming Decisions
Now there is the question of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them stick with the method of attacking play at the top of the order.
That could mean Head remains, meaning a player such as the all-rounder enters 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 the batsman, but sometimes you have to do what the rival team would find most challenging.
Series Outlook
After the first Test was dominated by the pace attack, some are wondering if the rest of series will be brief, low-run 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 delivering the ball in the right place so often. In general, batsmen on both sides will need to analyze how they were dismissed.
Pivotal Match
Now we move on to Brisbane, and the completely distinct day-night 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 slipping from England quickly.
At the present, England are just one match down. There would be no coming back from 2-0, which is why the venue is such a crucial game.
They need to adjust, or the historic urn will be lost again.