Jimmy Anderson: England pace attack 'left marks' on Australia - but it got exposed as 'one-dimensional' in second innings amid Travis Head assault

Who better to judge England's bowling performance in the first Ashes Test than Sir Jimmy Anderson? The legendary seamer stepped into the TNT Sports studio to assess what he had seen in Perth, and alongside ex-England all-rounder Ebony Rainford-Brent, considered what might lie ahead in the vital second Test in Brisbane. Watch and stream every ball of The Ashes live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Sir Jimmy Anderson believes England's bowlers left "marks" on Australia after roughing them up in the first innings of the first Ashes Test in Perth - but wonders if the second innings showed that the tourists' pace attack can also be "one-dimensional".

Positives have been thin on the ground for England after the desperately disappointing end to the Perth opener that saw Travis Head explode with the bat to send the hosts into a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Anderson, a veteran of England tours down under, saluted England's first effort with the ball, but suggested their approach was "exposed" in Australia's second innings.

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"I think they bowled brilliantly in that first innings," Anderson, speaking on TNT Sports' The Edge, said of England's pacers.

"England have built up to this series with pace, they want to hit Australia with pace, and it worked perfectly in that first innings.

"I thought they left a lot of marks on Australia. They started to find cracks in that batting order.

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"A lot of their batters were taking blows on the body, Cam Green got hit in the helmet, so things like that will leave marks on Australia.

"I think it got exposed a little bit in the second innings, when Head started getting going.

"And there's nowhere to go from that pace, you can't just take a step back and bring a spinner on to just change things up slightly.

"So it is kind of one-dimensional in that respect, but as we saw in the first innings, it did work brilliantly for that particular moment."

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England need 'Plan A, B and C'

Ex-England all-rounder Ebony Rainford-Brent joined Anderson in the TNT Sports studio, and made her view clear that Ben Stokes' side must be able to vary their tactics during the series.

"It's being able to have Plan A, B and C," Rainford-Brent said.

"I think what England stuck to with Travis Head was that short ball - that's what they went to.

"But they have got pace, that is a positive. You saw Mark Wood bowling 150kph (c. 93 mph), you had Jofra Archer moving the ball and bowling late 140s (c. 90mph).

"To have these two fit, at the same time, together, able to come into the Ashes and able to rough up an Australian side, that is truly special.

"England can't veer from that. When they go to Brisbane - they're going to have plenty of rest, let's face it - those two can be fresh to come out again.

"I think they're just going to have to work out now, if they're going to have someone like Head, what is going to be the 'B' and 'C' plan when he attacks you.

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"And maybe they need some nuance in that bowling attack, maybe even Josh Tongue comes in as someone who might be able to move that pink ball more.

"But it [the pace bowling] was one of the things that England executed really well."

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