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For Australia to fight back and claim victory in the opening Ashes Test so convincingly as they did, you wonder what scars will be inflicted upon the England team.

How will they respond for the remaining series?

Surprising Comeback

I do not think anyone anticipated what happened on Saturday. When you examine the quantity of deliveries taken to complete the game, it was the longest format on fast forward.

England were well on top at the midday break on the following day, 105 ahead with nine wickets in hand. The playing surface was still doing plenty. It looked so tough for Australia to get back into 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 second to be the catalyst for the recovery.

England's batsmen were out trying to hit balls wide of off-stump, in the air, 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 demonstrated that England had not done their preparation, are not able to adjust or are unwilling to change approach.

There is much discussion about England's method, their aggressive style. I witnessed it up close during the recent series in the UK. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, they can be quite rigid when it comes to adhering to that strategy.

It is fine on slow, low pitches. On the quick, lively pitches of Australia it is a approach full of danger. If England fail to reconsider, they will face difficulties for the whole series.

Pacer's Viewpoint

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

I relied on my precision, backing myself to land the identical area around off stump, with a some bounce and nip.

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 bring three or four wickets.

Quality and Mental Toughness

There are occasions when England can be a top-class team. They have good players. Good players have ability, but great players have the mental toughness and mindset to be adaptable enough for the situation.

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

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 put under pressure on the following day.

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

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Brilliant Innings

In fairness to England's bowlers, they were hit by one of the memorable Ashes innings by Travis Head.

His century off 69 deliveries was the second fastest by an Australian man in Ashes cricket, two overs behind Adam Gilchrist at the Perth ground previously – a match I participated in.

My former teammate Gilly said Head's innings was the superior of the two. I concur. Considering the challenging nature of the wicket and the situation of the game circumstances, the innings will go down as a highlight of cricket lore.

Strategic Decisions

It was a bold and brave move for Australia to elevate Head up the order for the follow-on.

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

When Khawaja missed out on day one, Australia advanced Marnus Labuschagne and got bogged down.

In promoting the aggressive batsman, who has the experience of starting in white-ball cricket, Australia were able to go on offensive to England.

Future Considerations

Now there is the question of what Australia will do for the second Test. I'd like to see them continue the approach of aggression at the top of the order.

That could mean Head remains, meaning a player such as the all-rounder comes into the middle order, or return to number five and Mitchell Marsh or the keeper could go to the top. It would be tough on Khawaja, but sometimes you have to do what the rival team would find most uncomfortable.

Series Outlook

After the first Test was dominated by the pace attack, some are wondering if the remaining series will be brief, low-run Tests.

The venue is essentially the quickest, liveliest pitch in the global cricket, so the batsmen should get a some respite from now on.

It is not all about the wicket. Credit has to be given to the pacemen for getting the ball in the correct areas so often. Overall, batters on each team will need to analyze how they got themselves out.

Pivotal Match

Now we move on to Brisbane, and the completely distinct twilight conditions for the second Test.

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

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 massive game.

They must adapt, or the historic urn will be gone again.