I'd Be Licking My Lips Facing England - Glenn McGrath

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The Australian team to fight back and win the first Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what psychological damage will be inflicted upon the England team.

How will they respond for the rest of series?

Surprising Comeback

I believe anyone expected what happened on the weekend. When you look at the quantity of deliveries taken to complete the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.

England were clearly dominant at lunch on the second day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The playing surface was still offering assistance. 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 national colors 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 wide of off-stump, on the up, through the covers.

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

Adjustment Problems

It showed that England had not done their homework, are unable to adjust or are reluctant to change approach.

There is a lot of talk about England's method, their attacking philosophy. I observed it up close during the recent series in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to adhering to that strategy.

It is acceptable on sluggish pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a approach full of danger. If England do not reassess, they will struggle for the entire series.

Bowling Perspective

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

I depended on my accuracy, having confidence to land the identical area around off stump, with a bit of bounce and movement.

Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the idea of facing them, aware one mistake could result in multiple wickets.

Skill and Resilience

There are times when England can be a high-quality team. They have good players. Competent cricketers have skill, but exceptional athletes have the psychological strength and attitude to be flexible enough for the situation.

They would been shellshocked at the way events developed at Perth Stadium, crushed at the way they were beaten. Now we will see what they are capable of. Even as a loyal Australian, I somewhat wants to see them change, just to show they can get better.

Pace Attack Issues

It was similar with their pace attack. England's attack was very good on the opening day, then lost the plot when they were attacked on the following day.

In the longest format, all disciplines require a backup strategy. Quite often it seems England have a single approach, then no alternatives if that does not work.

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

Head's Masterclass

In defense to England's bowlers, they were confronted with one of the memorable Ashes innings by the Australian batsman.

His 69-ball hundred was the second fastest by an Australian man in the historic rivalry, 12 balls behind the legendary keeper at the Perth ground 19 years ago – a match I played in.

My old mate Gilchrist said the performance was the superior of the two. I concur. Considering the difficulty of the wicket and the context of the match situation, the innings will go down as a moment of cricket lore.

Tactical Moves

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

The opener has copped it for being unable to open in both attempts. He had muscle issues after playing golf the day before the Test, but I don't think the two were linked.

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

In moving the aggressive batsman, who has the confidence of opening in limited overs, Australia were able to take the attack to England.

Future Considerations

Now there is the question of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them stick with the approach of attacking play at the beginning.

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning someone like Beau Webster comes into the batting lineup, or Head could go back to his position and Mitchell Marsh or the keeper could move to the opening. It would be difficult for Khawaja, but occasionally you have to do what the opposition would find most uncomfortable.

Series Outlook

After the opening match was dominated by the pace attack, some are wondering if the remaining series will be brief, low-run Tests.

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

It is not all about the pitch. Credit has to be given to the pacemen for getting the ball in the correct areas consistently. In general, batters on both sides will need to analyze how they were dismissed.

Crucial Next Test

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

In 2006-07, I was part of the Australia team that overwhelmed England to achieve 5-0. The rivalry in this nation have a habit of slipping from England rapidly.

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 massive game.

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