🔗 Share this article

• Published
  9 minutes ago
• 4 Comments

The Australian team to fight back and win the first Ashes Test as decisively as they did, one questions what psychological damage will be left on the England team.

How will they respond for the remaining series?

Unexpected Turnaround

I do not think anyone expected what transpired on the weekend. When you look at the number of overs required to complete the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.

England were clearly dominant at lunch on the second day, 105 ahead with most wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. It looked so tough for Australia to re-enter the match.

Shot Selection Woes

From that moment, England's shot selection was their big undoing. The Australian bowler put in arguably his poorest performance in an national colors in the initial batting, then completely reversed in the subsequent innings to be the driving force for the recovery.

England's batsmen were out trying to hit balls outside off stump, on the up, through the covers.

Attempting runs off those bowls, with those shots, is the one thing you just should avoid as a batsman in Australia.

Adaptation Issues

It demonstrated that England had not done their preparation, are unable to adapt or are unwilling to adapt.

There is much discussion about England's method, their attacking philosophy. I observed it up close during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and their coach, they can be quite rigid when it comes to adhering to that method.

It is acceptable 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 face difficulties for the entire series.

Bowling Perspective

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

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

Even if this England team was going well, I'd be licking my lips at the idea of facing them, aware a single error could result in multiple 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 exceptional athletes have the psychological strength and mindset 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 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.

Pace Attack Issues

It was similar with their bowling. England's bowling unit was excellent on the first evening, 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 one method, then no alternatives if that fails.

'Where has this come from?' - Starc bowls Root as England collapse in quick succession

Head's Masterclass

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

His 69-ball hundred was the second fastest by an Australian batsman in Ashes cricket, 12 balls behind Adam Gilchrist at the Waca 19 years ago – a game I participated in.

My old mate Gilchrist said the performance was the better of the two. I concur. Considering the challenging nature of the pitch and the context of the game situation, Head's knock will go down as a highlight of Ashes history.

Tactical Moves

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

Usman Khawaja 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 failed on the opening day, Australia promoted Marnus Labuschagne and got bogged down.

In moving the aggressive batsman, who has the confidence 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 top of the order.

That could mean Head remains, meaning someone like Beau Webster enters the batting lineup, or return to his position and Mitchell Marsh or the keeper could move to the opening. It would be difficult for the batsman, but sometimes you have to do what the rival team would find most uncomfortable.

Tournament Perspective

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

Perth Stadium is pretty much the fastest, bounciest pitch in the world, so the batters should get a little bit of respite from here onward.

It is not all about the pitch. Recognition has to be awarded to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the right place so often. In general, batsmen on each team will need to analyze how they were dismissed.

Pivotal Match

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

In 2006-07, I was part of the Australia team that overwhelmed England to win 5-0. Ashes series in this country have a habit of getting away from England quickly.

At the moment, 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 historic urn will be lost once more.