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The Australian team to bounce back and claim victory in the opening Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, you wonder what psychological damage will be left on the England team.
What are they going to do for the rest of series?
Unexpected Turnaround
I do not think no one anticipated what happened on the weekend. When you look at the quantity of deliveries required to finish the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.
England were well on top at lunch on the following day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The pitch was still offering assistance. It looked extremely difficult for Australia to re-enter the match.
Shot Selection Woes
From that point, England's choice of strokes was their major downfall. The Australian bowler put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the initial batting, then turned it around in the subsequent innings to be the catalyst for the comeback.
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 batter in Australia.
Adaptation Issues
It showed that England had not done their preparation, are not able to adapt or are reluctant to adapt.
There is a lot of talk about England's approach, their aggressive style. I witnessed it firsthand during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and their coach, they can be quite rigid when it comes to sticking with that strategy.
It is acceptable on slow, low pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a method fraught with danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will struggle for the entire series.
Bowling Perspective
As a paceman, I would have always felt in the contest against this England team.
I depended 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 performing strongly, I'd be eagerly anticipating at the prospect of facing them, knowing a single error could result in three or four wickets.
Quality and Mental Toughness
There are occasions when England can be a top-class team. They have talented individuals. Competent cricketers have skill, but great players have the psychological strength and attitude to be flexible enough for the conditions.
They would been stunned at the way events developed at the venue, devastated at the way they were defeated. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a true blue Australian, I somewhat wants to see them adapt, just to show they can get better.
Pace Attack Issues
It was almost the same with their pace attack. England's attack was excellent on the opening day, then lost the plot when they were attacked on the second night.
In Test cricket, all disciplines require a Plan B. 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 collapse in quick succession
Head's Masterclass
In fairness to England's pace attack, they were hit by one of the great Ashes innings by the Australian batsman.
His century off 69 deliveries was the second quickest by an Australian man in the historic rivalry, 12 balls behind Adam Gilchrist at the Perth ground previously – a game I participated in.
My former teammate Gilchrist said Head's innings was the better of the two. I agree. Considering the challenging nature of the wicket and the context of the game situation, Head's knock will be remembered as a moment of Ashes history.
Strategic Decisions
It was a courageous move for Australia to elevate the batsman up the order for the second innings.
Usman Khawaja has faced criticism for being failing to start in both attempts. He had back spasms after playing golf the previous day the Test, but I don't think the two were linked.
When the batsman failed 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 take the attack to England.
Upcoming Decisions
Now there is the question of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them continue the method of attacking play at the beginning.
That could mean continuation at the top, meaning someone like the all-rounder enters the middle order, or return to number five and the all-rounder or Josh Inglis could go to the opening. It would be tough on the batsman, but occasionally you have to do what the opposition would find most challenging.
Series Outlook
After the first Test was controlled 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 global cricket, so the batters should get a little bit of respite from now on.
It is not entirely about the pitch. Recognition has to be awarded to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the right place consistently. In general, batters on each team will need to analyze how they got themselves out.
Pivotal Match
Now we progress to Brisbane, and the completely distinct twilight conditions for the second Test.
In the historic series, I was a member of the Australia team that overwhelmed England to achieve 5-0. The rivalry in this nation have a habit of getting away from England rapidly.
At the moment, England are just one match down. There would be no recovery from two down, which is why Brisbane is such a crucial game.
They must adapt, or the historic urn will be lost once more.
