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

Cricket action
  • Published
  • 4 Comments

For Australia to fight back and claim victory in the first Ashes Test as decisively as they did, one questions what scars will be inflicted upon the England team.

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

Unexpected Turnaround

I believe no one anticipated what happened on the weekend. When you look at the number of overs taken to finish the game, it was Test cricket on accelerated pace.

England were clearly dominant at lunch on the following day, 105 ahead with nine wickets in hand. The playing surface was still offering assistance. It looked so tough for Australia to re-enter the match.

Batting Mistakes

From that point, England's shot selection was their major downfall. The Australian bowler put in probably his worst performance in an national colors in the first innings, then turned it around in the subsequent innings to be the catalyst for the recovery.

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 shots, is the one thing you just do not do as a batter in Australia.

Adaptation Issues

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

There is much discussion about England's method, their aggressive style. I observed it firsthand during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under their captain and Brendon McCullum, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to sticking with that strategy.

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

Pacer's Viewpoint

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

I relied on my precision, backing myself to hit the identical area around off stump, with a some bounce and nip.

Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be licking my lips at the prospect of facing them, knowing a single error could result in three or four wickets.

Skill and Resilience

There are times when England can be a high-quality team. They have talented individuals. Good players have skill, but exceptional athletes have the mental toughness and mindset to be adaptable enough for the situation.

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, part of me wants to see them change, just to show they can improve.

Bowling Concerns

It was almost the same with their pace attack. England's attack was very good on the first evening, then lost direction when they were put under pressure on the second night.

In the longest format, all disciplines require a Plan B. Quite often it feels like England have one method, then no alternatives if that fails.

'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England collapse in six balls

Brilliant Innings

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

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

My former teammate Gilchrist said Head's innings was the better of the two. I agree. Considering the difficulty of the wicket and the context of the game circumstances, Head's knock will be remembered as a highlight of Ashes history.

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 unable to open in either innings. He had muscle issues after playing the sport the day before the Test, but I don't think the two were linked.

When Khawaja missed out on day one, Australia promoted their number three and got bogged down.

In moving Head, who has the experience of starting in limited overs, 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 continue the method of aggression at the beginning.

That could mean Head remains, meaning someone like Beau Webster enters the batting lineup, or Head could go back to number five and the all-rounder or the keeper could go to the top. It would be difficult for Khawaja, but occasionally you have to do what the opposition would find most challenging.

Series Outlook

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

Perth Stadium is essentially the fastest, bounciest pitch in the global cricket, so the batsmen should get a some respite from here onward.

It is not all about the pitch. Recognition has to be awarded to the pacemen for delivering the ball in the right place so often. Overall, batsmen on each team will need to analyze how they got themselves out.

Crucial Next Test

Now we progress to Brisbane, and the vastly different twilight conditions for the second Test.

In the historic series, I was part of the national side that dominated England to achieve 5-0. The rivalry in this nation have a tendency of slipping from England rapidly.

At the moment, England are only 1-0 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 lost again.

Eric Mcclure
Eric Mcclure

Elara is a seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in casino reviews and strategy development.