I'd Be Salivating Bowling to England - McGrath

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The Australian team to fight back and claim victory in the opening Ashes Test as decisively as they did, one questions what psychological damage will be left on the England team.

What are they going to do for the remaining series?

Surprising Comeback

I believe no one anticipated what happened on the weekend. When you examine the quantity of deliveries taken to complete the game, it was the longest format on fast forward.

England were clearly dominant at lunch on the following day, leading by 105 runs 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 moment, England's shot selection was their major downfall. Scott Boland put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the first innings, then completely reversed in the second to be the driving force for the recovery.

England's batsmen were out attempting to strike balls wide of off-stump, in the air, towards cover region.

Trying to score off those deliveries, with those strokes, is the one thing you just should avoid as a batter in Australia.

Adaptation Issues

It demonstrated that England had not done their preparation, are not able to adapt or are unwilling to adapt.

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

It is fine 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 entire series.

Bowling Perspective

As a bowler, I would have always felt in the contest against this England team.

I depended on my precision, having confidence to hit the same spot 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 prospect of facing them, aware a single error could bring multiple 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 mindset to be adaptable 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 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 similar with their bowling. England's bowling unit was excellent on the opening day, then lost the plot when they were attacked on the second night.

In the longest format, all aspects require a backup strategy. Frequently it feels like England have a single approach, then no alternatives 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 pace attack, they were confronted with one of the great Ashes innings by Travis Head.

His century off 69 deliveries was the second quickest by an Australian batsman in the historic rivalry, 12 balls behind the legendary keeper at the Perth ground 19 years ago – a match I participated in.

My former teammate Gilchrist said the performance was the better of the two. I agree. Given the challenging nature of the pitch and the context of the match circumstances, Head's knock will go down as a highlight of cricket lore.

Tactical Moves

It was a courageous move for Australia to elevate Head in the lineup for the second innings.

The opener has copped it for being unable to open in both attempts. He had back spasms after playing golf the day before the Test, but I do not believe the two were connected.

When Khawaja failed on day one, Australia promoted 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.

Future Considerations

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

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning a player such as Beau Webster comes into the batting lineup, or Head could go back 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.

Tournament Perspective

After the opening match was controlled by the bowlers, questions arise if the remaining series will be short, low-scoring Tests.

The venue is pretty much the fastest, bounciest pitch in the global cricket, so the batsmen should get a little bit of respite from here onward.

It is not all about the wicket. Credit has to be given to the pacemen for getting the ball in the right place consistently. Overall, batsmen on both sides will need to analyze how they got themselves out.

Crucial Next Test

Now we progress to Brisbane, and the vastly different day-night conditions for the following match.

In the historic series, I was a member of the Australia team that dominated England to achieve 5-0. Ashes series in this country have a tendency of slipping from England rapidly.

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

They need to adjust, or the Ashes will be gone once more.