🔗 Share this article

• Published
  9 minutes ago
• 4 Comments

The Australian team to bounce back and claim victory in the opening Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what psychological damage will be inflicted upon the England team.

What are they going to do for the rest of series?

Unexpected Turnaround

I believe no one expected what happened on Saturday. When you look at the quantity of deliveries required to complete the game, it was Test cricket on accelerated pace.

England were well on top at lunch on the following day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. 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 initial batting, then turned it around in the second to be the driving force for the recovery.

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

Trying to score off those bowls, with those shots, is the precise action you just do not do as a batsman in Australia.

Adaptation Issues

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

There is much discussion about England's method, their aggressive style. I witnessed it firsthand during the recent series in the UK. Under their captain and their coach, they can be quite rigid when it comes to adhering to that method.

It is acceptable on sluggish pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a method fraught with danger. If England do not reassess, they will face difficulties for the whole series.

Pacer's Viewpoint

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

I relied on my accuracy, having confidence to land the same spot 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, knowing one mistake could bring three or four wickets.

Skill and Resilience

There are times when England can be a top-class team. They have talented individuals. Competent cricketers have ability, but exceptional athletes have the mental toughness and mindset to be adaptable enough for the situation.

They would been stunned at the way events developed at the venue, crushed at the way they were defeated. Now we will see what they are capable of. Even as a true blue Australian, part of me 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 opening day, then lost the plot when they were put under pressure on the following day.

In Test cricket, all aspects require a backup strategy. Frequently it feels like England have one method, 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 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 quickest by an Australian man in Ashes cricket, two overs behind Adam Gilchrist at the Waca previously – a match I played in.

My former teammate Gilly said Head's innings 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.

Strategic Decisions

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

The opener has faced criticism for being failing to start in either innings. He had back spasms after playing golf the previous day the Test, but I do not believe the two were linked.

When the batsman missed out on the opening day, Australia advanced their number three and got bogged down.

In moving Head, who has the confidence of starting 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 next match. I'd like to see them stick with the method of attacking play at the top of the order.

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning a player such as the all-rounder enters the middle order, or return to number five and Mitchell Marsh or Josh Inglis could move to the opening. It would be difficult for Khawaja, 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 essentially the fastest, bounciest 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 awarded to the pacemen for delivering the ball in the correct areas so often. In general, batsmen on both sides will need to look at how they got themselves out.

Pivotal Match

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

In the historic series, I was a member of the national side that dominated England to achieve 5-0. The rivalry in this country have a tendency of getting away from England quickly.

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

They must adapt, or the historic urn will be lost again.