I Would Be Salivating Bowling to England - Glenn McGrath

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The Australian team to fight back and claim victory in the first Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what scars will be left on the England team.

How will they respond for the rest of series?

Surprising Comeback

I believe anyone expected what transpired on Saturday. When you examine the number of overs taken to complete the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.

England were clearly dominant at the midday break on the following day, leading by 105 runs with nine 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 point, England's shot selection was their big undoing. The Australian bowler 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, on the up, towards cover region.

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

Adjustment Problems

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

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

It is fine on sluggish pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a method fraught with danger. If England do not reassess, 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 depended on my accuracy, backing myself to land 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 eagerly anticipating at the prospect of bowling to them, knowing one mistake could bring three or four wickets.

Skill and Resilience

There are occasions when England can be a top-class team. They have talented individuals. Competent cricketers have ability, but great players have the mental toughness and attitude to be flexible enough for the situation.

They would been stunned at the way events developed at Perth Stadium, crushed 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.

Pace Attack Issues

It was almost the same with their bowling. England's bowling unit was excellent on the first evening, then lost direction when they were attacked on the following day.

In Test cricket, all disciplines require a backup strategy. Frequently it feels like England have one method, then no alternatives if that fails.

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

Head's Masterclass

In defense to England's pace attack, they were hit by one of the memorable Ashes innings by the Australian batsman.

His century off 69 deliveries was the second fastest by an Australian batsman in Ashes cricket, 12 balls behind Adam Gilchrist at the Waca 19 years ago – a game I participated in.

My former teammate Gilly said the performance was the better of the two. I agree. Considering the challenging nature of the wicket and the situation of the match situation, the innings will be remembered as a highlight of cricket lore.

Strategic Decisions

It was a bold and brave move for Australia to elevate Head up the order for the follow-on.

Usman Khawaja has faced criticism 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 Marnus Labuschagne and got stuck.

In moving Head, who has the experience of opening in white-ball cricket, Australia were able to take the attack to England.

Future Considerations

Now there is the issue 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 enters the batting lineup, or Head could go back to his position and Mitchell Marsh or Josh Inglis could go to the opening. It would be tough on the batsman, but sometimes you have to do what the rival team would find most challenging.

Tournament Perspective

After the first Test was controlled by the pace attack, questions arise if the remaining series will be short, low-scoring Tests.

The venue is essentially the quickest, liveliest pitch in the global cricket, so the batsmen should get a some relief from here onward.

It is not entirely about the wicket. Recognition has to be awarded to the pacemen for getting the ball in the correct areas so often. Overall, batsmen on each team will need to analyze how they were dismissed.

Pivotal Match

Now we move on to the next venue, and the vastly different twilight conditions for the second Test.

In 2006-07, I was a member of the national side that dominated England to achieve 5-0. Ashes series in this nation have a habit of getting away from England quickly.

At the present, England are just one match down. There would be no coming back from 2-0, which is why Brisbane is such a crucial game.

They must adapt, or the Ashes will be gone again.