I'd Be Salivating Facing England - McGrath

Cricket action
  • Published
  • 4 Comments

For Australia to fight back and claim victory in the opening 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?

Unexpected Turnaround

I do not think anyone expected what transpired on Saturday. When you examine the number of overs required to finish the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.

England were clearly dominant at the midday break on the following day, 105 ahead with nine wickets in hand. The pitch was still offering assistance. 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. Scott Boland put in probably his worst performance in an national colors in the initial batting, then completely reversed in the subsequent innings to be the driving force for the comeback.

England's batsmen were out trying to hit balls wide of off-stump, on the up, through the covers.

Attempting runs off those bowls, with those strokes, is the one thing you just should avoid as a batter in Australia.

Adjustment Problems

It demonstrated that England had not done their preparation, are unable to adjust or are reluctant to adapt.

There is much discussion about England's approach, their attacking philosophy. I observed it firsthand during the recent series in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and their coach, they can be quite rigid when it comes to sticking with that method.

It is acceptable on sluggish pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a method fraught with danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will struggle for the whole series.

Bowling Perspective

As a paceman, I would have consistently believed in the contest against this England team.

I relied on my accuracy, having confidence to hit the same spot on or outside off stump, with a some bounce and movement.

Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be licking my lips at the idea of facing them, aware a single error could result in multiple wickets.

Skill and Resilience

There are occasions when England can be a top-class team. They have talented individuals. Competent cricketers have skill, but exceptional athletes have the psychological strength and mindset to be flexible enough for the conditions.

They would been stunned at the way things unfolded at Perth Stadium, 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.

Bowling Concerns

It was similar with their pace attack. England's attack was excellent on the opening day, then lost direction when they were put under pressure on the second night.

In Test cricket, all disciplines require a Plan B. Frequently it seems England have a single approach, then nowhere to go if that fails.

'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England lose third wicket in six balls

Brilliant Innings

In fairness to England's bowlers, they were hit by one of the memorable Ashes innings by Travis Head.

His century off 69 deliveries was the second fastest by an Australian batsman in Ashes cricket, 12 balls behind Adam Gilchrist at the Perth ground previously – a game I participated in.

My old mate Gilchrist said the performance was the better of the two. I concur. Considering the challenging nature of the wicket and the context of the game circumstances, Head's knock will go down as a highlight of cricket lore.

Tactical Moves

It was a courageous move for Australia to elevate the batsman up the order for the follow-on.

The opener has faced criticism for being failing to start 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 the batsman failed on the opening day, Australia promoted Marnus Labuschagne and got stuck.

In promoting the aggressive batsman, 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 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 return to his position and the all-rounder or the keeper could move to the opening. It would be difficult for the batsman, but occasionally you have to do what the opposition would find most uncomfortable.

Tournament Perspective

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

Perth Stadium is pretty much the quickest, liveliest pitch in the global cricket, so the batters should get a little bit of relief from here onward.

It is not all about the wicket. Recognition has to be given to the bowlers for getting the ball in the correct areas consistently. In general, batters on both sides will need to analyze how they were dismissed.

Pivotal Match

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

In 2006-07, I was a member of the national side that overwhelmed England to achieve 5-0. The rivalry in this country have a habit of getting away from England rapidly.

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

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

Darryl Vang
Darryl Vang

A passionate gamer and tech writer with over a decade of experience covering the gaming industry and its trends.