I Would Be Salivating Bowling to the English Team - McGrath

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The Australian team to fight back and win the opening Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, you wonder what scars will be left on the England team.

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

Surprising Comeback

I do not think no one anticipated what transpired on Saturday. When you look at the quantity of deliveries required to complete the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.

England were well on top at the midday break on the following day, 105 ahead with nine wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. It looked so tough for Australia to get back into the match.

Batting Mistakes

From that moment, England's choice of strokes was their big undoing. Scott Boland put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the first innings, then completely reversed in the second to be the catalyst for the comeback.

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

Attempting runs off those bowls, with those shots, is the precise action you just should avoid as a batter in Australia.

Adaptation Issues

It demonstrated that England had failed to complete their preparation, are unable to adjust or are reluctant to change approach.

There is a lot of talk about England's approach, their attacking philosophy. I witnessed it up close during the recent series in the UK. Under their captain and Brendon McCullum, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to sticking with that strategy.

It is fine on slow, low 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.

Pacer's Viewpoint

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

I relied on my precision, backing myself to hit 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 idea of facing them, knowing a single error could bring multiple wickets.

Skill and Resilience

There are times when England can be a high-quality team. They have talented individuals. Good players have skill, but great players have the psychological strength and attitude to be flexible enough for the conditions.

They would been shellshocked at the way events developed at the venue, devastated at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a loyal Australian, I somewhat wants to see them change, just to show they can improve.

Pace Attack Issues

It was similar with their bowling. England's attack was excellent on the first evening, then lost direction when they were put under pressure on the following day.

In the longest format, all disciplines require a backup strategy. Frequently it feels like England have one method, then no alternatives if that does not work.

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Head's Masterclass

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

His 69-ball hundred was the second quickest by an Australian man in the historic rivalry, two overs behind the legendary keeper at the Waca previously – a match I participated in.

My old mate Gilly said Head's innings was the better of the two. I agree. Given the challenging nature of the wicket and the situation of the match situation, the innings will go down as a moment of Ashes history.

Tactical Moves

It was a courageous move for Australia to elevate Head in the lineup for the follow-on.

Usman Khawaja has faced criticism for being failing to start in either innings. He had muscle issues after playing golf the day before the Test, but I do not believe the two were linked.

When the batsman failed on the opening day, Australia promoted Marnus Labuschagne and got stuck.

In moving the aggressive batsman, who has the experience of starting in white-ball cricket, Australia were able to go on offensive 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 method of attacking play at the beginning.

That could mean Head remains, meaning a player such as the all-rounder comes into the batting lineup, or Head could go back to number five and Mitchell Marsh or the keeper could go to the opening. It would be tough on Khawaja, but occasionally you have to do what the opposition would find most uncomfortable.

Series Outlook

After the first Test was dominated by the pace attack, some are wondering if the remaining series will be short, low-scoring Tests.

The venue is pretty much the quickest, liveliest pitch in the global cricket, so the batsmen should get a little bit of relief from now on.

It is not all about the wicket. Credit has to be given to the pacemen for delivering the ball in the correct areas so often. Overall, batsmen on both sides will need to look at how they were dismissed.

Crucial Next Test

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

In 2006-07, I was a member of the Australia team 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 two down, which is why Brisbane is such a crucial game.

They need to adjust, or the Ashes will be gone again.