🔗 Share this article I'd Be Salivating Bowling to the English Team - Glenn McGrath Published9 minutes ago 4 Comments The Australian team to bounce back and claim victory in the opening Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what scars will be inflicted upon the England team. What are they going to do for the rest of series? Unexpected Turnaround I do not think anyone expected what happened on the weekend. When you look at the quantity of deliveries required to complete the game, it was Test cricket on accelerated pace. England were well on top at lunch on the second day, 105 ahead with most wickets in hand. The playing surface was still doing plenty. It looked so tough for Australia to get back into the match. Shot Selection Woes From that point, England's choice of strokes was their major downfall. The Australian bowler put in probably his worst performance in an national colors in the first innings, then completely reversed in the second to be the catalyst for the recovery. England's batsmen were out attempting to strike balls outside off stump, on the up, through the covers. Trying to score off those deliveries, with those shots, is the precise action you just should avoid as a batter in Australia. Adaptation Issues It demonstrated that England had not done their preparation, are unable to adapt or are unwilling to adapt. There is a lot of talk about England's method, their aggressive style. I observed it firsthand during the recent series in the UK. Under their captain and their coach, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to sticking with that strategy. It is acceptable on sluggish pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a approach fraught with danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will struggle for the entire series. Bowling Perspective As a bowler, I would have consistently believed in the game against this England team. I depended on my precision, having confidence to hit the identical area around off stump, with a bit of bounce and nip. Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the idea of facing 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 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, devastated at the way they were defeated. Now we will see what they are capable of. Even as a loyal Australian, I somewhat wants to see them adapt, just to show they can get better. Bowling Concerns It was almost the same with their pace attack. England's attack was excellent on the first evening, then lost direction when they were attacked on the following day. In the longest format, all aspects require a backup strategy. Frequently it feels like England have one method, then nowhere to go if that does not work. 'Where has this come from?' - Starc bowls Root as England collapse in six balls Brilliant Innings In fairness to England's bowlers, 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 Ashes cricket, 12 balls behind Adam Gilchrist at the Perth ground 19 years ago – a game I played in. My former teammate Gilly said the performance was the superior of the two. I concur. Given the difficulty of the pitch and the context of the game situation, the innings will be remembered as a moment of Ashes history. Strategic Decisions It was a courageous move for Australia to promote the batsman up the order for the second innings. Usman Khawaja has faced criticism for being unable to open in either innings. He had back spasms after playing the sport 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 the aggressive batsman, who has the confidence of opening in limited overs, Australia were able to take the attack 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 aggression at the beginning. That could mean Head remains, meaning a player such as Beau Webster enters the middle order, or Head could go back to his position and the all-rounder or Josh Inglis could move to the opening. It would be tough on Khawaja, but occasionally you have to do what the rival team would find most uncomfortable. Series Outlook After the opening match was dominated by the bowlers, some are wondering if the remaining series will be short, low-scoring Tests. Perth Stadium is pretty much the fastest, bounciest pitch in the world, so the batsmen should get a some respite from now on. It is not entirely about the wicket. Recognition has to be awarded to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the right place so often. Overall, batsmen on each team will need to look at how they got themselves out. Pivotal Match Now we progress to Brisbane, and the vastly different twilight conditions for the following match. In the historic series, I was a member of the Australia team that overwhelmed England to achieve 5-0. Ashes series in this country have a tendency of slipping from England quickly. At the present, England are just one match down. There would be no recovery from two down, which is why Brisbane is such a massive game. They must adapt, or the historic urn will be lost once more.