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The Australian team to bounce back and claim victory in the first Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what psychological damage will be left on the England team.

How will they respond for the remaining series?

Surprising Comeback

I believe no one expected what happened on the weekend. When you examine the number of overs taken to complete the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.

England were clearly dominant at lunch on the second day, 105 ahead with nine wickets in hand. The pitch was still offering assistance. It looked so tough for Australia to get back into the match.

Batting Mistakes

From that moment, England's shot selection was their major downfall. Scott Boland put in probably his worst performance in an national colors in the initial batting, then completely reversed in the subsequent innings to be the driving force for the comeback.

England's batters were out trying to hit balls outside off stump, in the air, towards cover region.

Attempting runs off those bowls, with those strokes, is the precise action you just do not do as a batsman in Australia.

Adaptation Issues

It showed that England had not done their homework, are unable 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 their captain and Brendon McCullum, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to sticking with that method.

It is acceptable on sluggish 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 whole series.

Bowling Perspective

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

I relied on my accuracy, having confidence to hit the same spot on or outside off stump, with a bit of bounce and nip.

Even if this England team was performing strongly, I'd be licking my lips at the idea of bowling to them, knowing a single error could result in three or four wickets.

Skill and Resilience

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

They would been shellshocked at the way things unfolded 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, I somewhat wants to see them adapt, just to show they can get better.

Bowling Concerns

It was similar with their pace attack. England's bowling unit was excellent on the opening day, then lost direction when they were attacked on the second night.

In Test cricket, all disciplines require a backup strategy. Quite often it feels like England have one method, then no alternatives if that fails.

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Brilliant Innings

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

His century off 69 deliveries was the second quickest by an Australian batsman in Ashes cricket, two overs behind the legendary keeper at the Waca 19 years ago – a match I participated in.

My former teammate Gilchrist said the performance was the better of the two. I agree. Considering the challenging nature of the wicket and the situation of the match situation, the innings will go down as a moment of cricket lore.

Strategic Decisions

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

Usman Khawaja has faced criticism for being unable to open in both attempts. He had muscle issues after playing golf the previous day the Test, but I do not believe the two were connected.

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

In promoting Head, who has the experience of opening in white-ball cricket, Australia were able to take the attack to England.

Future Considerations

Now there is the question of what Australia will do for the next match. I'd like to see them stick with the approach of aggression at the beginning.

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning a player such as Beau Webster enters the batting lineup, or return to number five and the all-rounder or Josh Inglis could go to the opening. It would be tough on Khawaja, but occasionally you have to do what the opposition would find most challenging.

Tournament Perspective

After the opening match was dominated by the bowlers, some are wondering if the remaining series will be short, low-scoring Tests.

The venue is essentially the fastest, bounciest pitch in the global cricket, so the batsmen should get a some relief from now on.

It is not all about the pitch. Credit has to be awarded to the bowlers for delivering the ball in the correct areas consistently. Overall, batsmen on both sides will need to analyze how they were dismissed.

Crucial Next Test

Now we move on to Brisbane, and the vastly different twilight conditions for the following match.

In the historic series, I was part of the Australia team that overwhelmed England to win 5-0. Ashes series in this country have a tendency of slipping from England quickly.

At the moment, England are only 1-0 down. There would be no coming back from two down, which is why the venue is such a massive game.

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