I Would Be Licking My Lips Facing the English Team - Glenn McGrath

Cricket action
  • Published
  • 4 Comments

The Australian team to bounce back and claim victory in the first Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, one questions what psychological damage will be inflicted upon the England team.

How will they respond for the remaining series?

Surprising Comeback

I do not think anyone expected what happened on the weekend. When you examine the number of overs taken to complete the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.

England were well on top at lunch on the following day, leading by 105 runs with nine wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to re-enter the match.

Shot Selection Woes

From that moment, England's shot selection was their major downfall. Scott Boland 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 comeback.

England's batters were out trying to hit balls outside off stump, in the air, towards cover region.

Attempting runs off those deliveries, with those shots, is the precise action you just do not do as a batsman in Australia.

Adjustment Problems

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

There is a lot of talk about England's method, their aggressive style. I witnessed it firsthand during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to adhering to that method.

It is fine on sluggish pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a approach fraught with danger. If England do not reassess, they will face difficulties for the whole series.

Bowling Perspective

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

I relied on my accuracy, having confidence to hit the identical area on or outside off stump, with a some bounce and nip.

Even if this England team was going well, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the prospect of bowling to them, aware a single error could result in three or four wickets.

Quality and Mental Toughness

There are occasions when England can be a high-quality team. They have good players. Good players have ability, but great players have the psychological strength and mindset 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 defeated. Now we will see what they are capable of. Even as a true blue Australian, I somewhat wants to see them change, just to show they can get better.

Bowling Concerns

It was almost the same with their bowling. England's attack was very good on the opening day, then lost direction when they were attacked on the second night.

In the longest format, all disciplines require a Plan B. Frequently it feels like England have a single approach, then nowhere to go if that fails.

'Where has this come from?' - Starc bowls Root as England lose third wicket in six balls

Head's Masterclass

In fairness to England's pace attack, they were hit by one of the great Ashes innings by Travis Head.

His 69-ball hundred was the second quickest by an Australian batsman in the historic rivalry, 12 balls behind the legendary keeper at the Waca previously – a match I played in.

My old mate Gilchrist said the performance was the better of the two. I agree. Given the difficulty of the wicket and the situation of the match situation, the innings will go down as a moment of cricket lore.

Tactical Moves

It was a courageous move for Australia to promote Head up the order for the second innings.

The opener has faced criticism for being unable to open in either innings. He had back spasms after playing golf the day before the Test, but I don't think the two were connected.

When Khawaja missed out on the opening day, Australia promoted Marnus Labuschagne and got bogged down.

In moving the aggressive batsman, who has the experience of starting 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 attacking play at the beginning.

That could mean Head remains, meaning a player such as Beau Webster comes into the batting lineup, or Head could go back to his position and Mitchell Marsh or the keeper could go to the top. It would be tough on Khawaja, but occasionally you have to do what the opposition would find most uncomfortable.

Tournament Perspective

After the first Test was controlled by the bowlers, questions arise if the rest of series will be brief, low-run Tests.

The venue is essentially the fastest, bounciest pitch in the world, so the batsmen should get a little bit of respite from here onward.

It is not entirely about the wicket. Credit has to be awarded to the bowlers for getting the ball in the right place consistently. In general, batters on both sides will need to look at how they got themselves out.

Pivotal Match

Now we progress to the next venue, and the completely distinct twilight conditions for the second Test.

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

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

They must adapt, or the Ashes will be lost once more.

Christopher Jacobs
Christopher Jacobs

A tech enthusiast and avid traveler sharing insights and stories from around the world.