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For Australia to bounce back and claim victory in the first 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 believe anyone anticipated what happened on the weekend. When you examine the number of overs taken to finish the game, it was the longest format on fast forward.

England were clearly dominant at the midday break on the following day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The pitch was still doing plenty. It looked so tough for Australia to get back into the match.

Shot Selection Woes

From that moment, England's choice of strokes was their major downfall. The Australian bowler put in probably his worst performance in an Australia shirt in the initial batting, then turned it around in the second to be the catalyst for the recovery.

England's batters were out attempting to strike balls outside off stump, in the air, through the covers.

Attempting runs off those deliveries, with those strokes, is the one thing you just do not do as a batter in Australia.

Adjustment Problems

It showed that England had failed to complete their preparation, are not able to adjust or are unwilling to change approach.

There is a lot of talk 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 pretty stubborn when it comes to adhering to that method.

It is fine 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 whole series.

Bowling Perspective

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

I depended on my precision, backing myself to hit the same spot on or outside off stump, with a bit of bounce and nip.

Even if this England team was going well, I'd be licking my lips at the idea of bowling to them, knowing one mistake could bring three or four wickets.

Quality and Mental Toughness

There are occasions when England can be a high-quality team. They have talented individuals. Competent cricketers have skill, but exceptional athletes have the psychological strength and mindset to be adaptable enough for the situation.

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 capable of. Even as a true blue Australian, part of me wants to see them change, 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 first evening, then lost direction when they were attacked on the second night.

In Test cricket, all disciplines require a Plan B. Quite often it seems England have one method, then nowhere to go if that fails.

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Head's Masterclass

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

His century off 69 deliveries was the second quickest by an Australian man in Ashes cricket, two overs behind Adam Gilchrist at the Perth ground 19 years ago – a match I played in.

My old mate Gilly said the performance was the superior of the two. I concur. Considering the difficulty of the wicket and the context of the match situation, Head's knock will be remembered as a moment of cricket lore.

Strategic Decisions

It was a bold and brave move for Australia to promote the batsman in the lineup for the follow-on.

The opener has copped it for being failing to start in both attempts. He had muscle issues after playing the sport the previous day the Test, but I do not believe the two were connected.

When the batsman failed on the opening day, Australia advanced their number three and got bogged down.

In moving the aggressive batsman, who has the confidence of opening in limited overs, 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 aggression at the top of the order.

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning someone like the all-rounder comes into the middle order, or return to number five and the all-rounder or the keeper could move to the opening. It would be difficult for the batsman, but sometimes you have to do what the opposition would find most challenging.

Tournament Perspective

After the first Test was controlled by the pace attack, questions arise if the remaining series will be short, low-scoring Tests.

The venue is pretty much the fastest, bounciest pitch in the world, so the batsmen should get a some relief from now on.

It is not entirely about the wicket. Recognition has to be awarded to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the correct areas consistently. Overall, batters on both sides will need to look at how they were dismissed.

Pivotal Match

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

In the historic series, I was a member of the national side that overwhelmed England to achieve 5-0. The rivalry in this country have a habit of getting away from England quickly.

At the moment, England are just one match down. There would be no coming back from two down, which is why Brisbane is such a massive game.

They must adapt, or the Ashes will be gone again.