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For Australia to bounce back and win the opening Ashes Test as decisively as they did, you wonder what scars will be inflicted upon the England team.

What are they going to do for the remaining series?

Unexpected Turnaround

I believe no one anticipated what happened on the weekend. When you look at the quantity of deliveries taken to complete the game, it was Test cricket on fast forward.

England were well on top at the midday break on the second day, leading by 105 runs with most wickets in hand. The playing surface was still offering assistance. It looked so tough for Australia to re-enter the match.

Batting Mistakes

From that point, England's shot selection was their major downfall. The Australian bowler put in arguably his poorest performance in an Australia shirt in the first innings, then completely reversed in the subsequent innings to be the driving force for the recovery.

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

Trying to score off those deliveries, with those strokes, is the precise action you just do not do as a batter in Australia.

Adjustment Problems

It demonstrated that England had failed to complete their homework, are not able to adapt or are unwilling to change approach.

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 their coach, they can be pretty stubborn when it comes to adhering to that method.

It is acceptable on slow, low pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a method full of danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will struggle for the entire series.

Pacer's Viewpoint

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

I relied on my precision, backing myself to hit the identical area on or outside off stump, with a bit of bounce and movement.

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

Skill and Resilience

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 adaptable enough for the situation.

They would been shellshocked at the way things unfolded at the venue, crushed at the way they were beaten. 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 get better.

Bowling Concerns

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 the longest format, all disciplines require a backup strategy. Frequently it seems England have a single approach, then no alternatives if that fails.

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

Brilliant Innings

In fairness to England's pace attack, they were hit by one of the memorable Ashes innings by the Australian batsman.

His 69-ball hundred was the second fastest by an Australian man in Ashes cricket, two overs behind the legendary keeper at the Waca 19 years ago – a match I played in.

My old mate Gilly said the performance was the better of the two. I concur. Given the difficulty of the pitch and the situation of the match situation, Head's knock will go down as a moment of Ashes history.

Strategic Decisions

It was a bold and brave move for Australia to elevate the batsman in the lineup for the second innings.

The opener has faced criticism for being unable to open in either innings. He had muscle issues after playing golf the previous day the Test, but I do not believe the two were linked.

When the batsman missed out on the opening day, Australia advanced Marnus Labuschagne and got stuck.

In moving 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 issue of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them continue the approach of attacking play at the top of the order.

That could mean Head remains, meaning a player such as Beau Webster comes into the middle order, or return to his position and the all-rounder or the keeper could go to the opening. It would be tough on Khawaja, but sometimes you have to do what the opposition would find most challenging.

Tournament Perspective

After the opening match was dominated by the bowlers, questions arise if the rest of series will be brief, low-run Tests.

The venue is essentially the fastest, bounciest pitch in the world, so the batsmen should get a little bit of respite from now on.

It is not all about the wicket. Credit has to be awarded to the pacemen for getting the ball in the correct areas consistently. In general, batsmen on each team will need to look at how they got themselves out.

Pivotal Match

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

In 2006-07, I was a member of the national side that dominated England to win 5-0. Ashes series in this country have a tendency of slipping from England quickly.

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

They need to adjust, or the Ashes will be gone again.