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The Australian team to fight back and win the first Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, you wonder what psychological damage will be left on the England team.

How will they respond for the rest of series?

Unexpected Turnaround

I do not think no one anticipated what happened on Saturday. When you look at the quantity of deliveries required to finish the game, it was Test cricket on accelerated pace.

England were well on top at the midday break on the second day, 105 ahead with nine 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 point, England's choice of strokes was their big undoing. Scott Boland put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the first innings, then turned it around in the subsequent innings to be the catalyst for the comeback.

England's batsmen were out trying to hit balls wide of off-stump, in the air, through the covers.

Attempting runs off those bowls, with those shots, is the one thing you just do not do as a batsman in Australia.

Adaptation Issues

It demonstrated that England had not done their homework, are not able to adapt or are unwilling to adapt.

There is a lot of talk about England's approach, their attacking philosophy. I observed it up close during the 2023 Ashes in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to adhering to that strategy.

It is fine on sluggish pitches. On the fast, bouncy pitches of Australia it is a method full of danger. If England do not reassess, they will face difficulties for the whole series.

Bowling Perspective

As a bowler, I would have always felt in the contest against this England team.

I depended on my precision, backing myself to hit the same spot 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 prospect of bowling to them, aware one mistake could bring multiple wickets.

Skill and Resilience

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

They would been stunned at the way things unfolded at the venue, crushed at the way they were defeated. Now we will see what they are made of. Even as a loyal Australian, I somewhat wants to see them adapt, just to show they can improve.

Pace Attack Issues

It was almost the same with their pace attack. England's attack was excellent on the first evening, then lost the plot when they were attacked on the second night.

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

'Where has this come from?' - The dismissal as England collapse in quick succession

Head's Masterclass

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

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 participated in.

My old mate Gilchrist said the performance was the superior of the two. I agree. Given the difficulty of the wicket and the situation of the match circumstances, Head's knock will be remembered as a moment of cricket lore.

Strategic Decisions

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

The opener has copped it for being failing to start in either innings. He had back spasms after playing golf the previous day the Test, but I don't think the two were connected.

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

In promoting Head, 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 stick with the approach of aggression at the beginning.

That could mean continuation at the top, meaning someone like the all-rounder enters the batting lineup, or return to number five and the all-rounder or the keeper could go to the top. It would be difficult for Khawaja, but sometimes you have to do what the rival team would find most uncomfortable.

Tournament Perspective

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

Perth Stadium is essentially the fastest, bounciest pitch in the global cricket, so the batters should get a little bit of respite from here onward.

It is not entirely about the wicket. Credit has to be awarded to the bowlers for getting the ball in the right place so often. Overall, batsmen on each team will need to analyze how they were dismissed.

Pivotal Match

Now we move on to Brisbane, and the vastly different twilight conditions for the second Test.

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

At the moment, England are only 1-0 down. There would be no coming back from 2-0, which is why Brisbane is such a crucial game.

They must adapt, or the Ashes will be gone once more.