I Would Be Salivating Bowling to England - McGrath
- Published
- 4 Comments
For Australia to fight back and claim victory in the first Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, one questions what scars will be left on the England team.
What are they going to do for the rest of series?
Surprising Comeback
I do not think anyone expected what transpired on the weekend. When you examine the number of overs required to complete the game, it was the longest format on fast forward.
England were clearly dominant at lunch on the second day, leading by 105 runs with nine wickets in hand. The playing surface was still offering assistance. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to get back into the match.
Batting Mistakes
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 initial batting, then turned it around in the subsequent innings to be the driving force for the recovery.
England's batters were out trying to hit balls wide of off-stump, on the up, through the covers.
Trying to score off those bowls, with those strokes, is the precise action you just should avoid as a batsman in Australia.
Adaptation Issues
It demonstrated that England had not done their homework, are unable to adjust or are reluctant to change approach.
There is much discussion about England's approach, their attacking philosophy. I witnessed it firsthand during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under their captain and their coach, they can be quite rigid when it comes to adhering to that strategy.
It is fine on sluggish pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a approach fraught with danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will face difficulties for the entire series.
Pacer's Viewpoint
As a bowler, I would have consistently believed 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 nip.
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 bring multiple wickets.
Quality and Mental Toughness
There are times when England can be a top-class team. They have good players. 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 events developed at Perth Stadium, devastated at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a true blue Australian, I somewhat wants to see them adapt, just to show they can improve.
Bowling Concerns
It was similar with their bowling. England's bowling unit was excellent on the first evening, then lost the plot when they were attacked on the second night.
In the longest format, all disciplines require a Plan B. Frequently it feels like England have one method, then nowhere to go if that does not work.
'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England lose third wicket in six balls
Brilliant Innings
In defense to England's bowlers, they were confronted with one of the great Ashes innings by Travis Head.
His 69-ball hundred was the second fastest by an Australian man in the historic rivalry, 12 balls behind the legendary keeper at the Waca 19 years ago – a match I played in.
My former teammate Gilly said Head's innings was the superior of the two. I concur. Given the difficulty of the wicket and the context of the game situation, Head's knock will be remembered as a moment of cricket lore.
Tactical Moves
It was a bold and brave move for Australia to promote the batsman in the lineup for the follow-on.
The opener has copped it for being unable to open in both attempts. He had back spasms after playing the sport the day before the Test, but I don't think the two were connected.
When Khawaja missed out on day one, Australia advanced Marnus Labuschagne and got stuck.
In moving 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 question of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them continue the approach of aggression at the beginning.
That could mean Head remains, meaning a player such as the all-rounder comes into the middle order, or Head could go back to his position and the all-rounder or the keeper could go to the top. It would be tough on Khawaja, but occasionally you have to do what the rival team would find most uncomfortable.
Series Outlook
After the first Test was dominated by the pace attack, some are wondering if the rest of series will be short, low-scoring Tests.
Perth Stadium is pretty much the quickest, liveliest pitch in the world, so the batters should get a little bit of relief from now on.
It is not all about the wicket. Credit has to be given to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the correct areas so often. In general, batters on each team will need to look at how they got themselves out.
Crucial Next Test
Now we progress to the next venue, and the vastly different twilight conditions for the second Test.
In 2006-07, I was part of the Australia team that overwhelmed England to win 5-0. Ashes series in this country have a tendency of getting away from England rapidly.
At the moment, England are only 1-0 down. There would be no recovery from 2-0, which is why the venue is such a crucial game.
They need to adjust, or the Ashes will be lost once more.
