Ashes 2017/18: 5 Talking points from Australia's Gabba win

Australia continued their impressive record at the Gabba as they recorded a comfortable 10-wicket victory and took a 1-0 lead in the Ashes. Steve Smith continued to show why he is the No.1 ranked Test batsman in the world while Australian pacers breathed fire, just like they promised.

That was expected, but what wasn't was England's meek surrender in the second innings after such a confident display in the first. So let us take a look at the major talking points from the first Test:

Australian selectors' faith pays off

Bancroft's gritty second innings display showed just why he is so highly regarded

Much was made of Australia's picks for the first Ashes Test. While Cameron Bancroft was widely regarded as a fine choice, some didn't think it must have been at the cost of Matt Renshaw. Others were bemused at the number of chances Shaun Marsh continues to get and everyone was taken back by the decision to bring Tim Paine from the wilderness into the Test side.

However risky the picks might have been, the trio ensured that the Australian selectors' faith paid off. Marsh scored a crucial fifty in the first innings, which ensured that the hosts took the lead. For someone who doesn't always keep for his state side, Paine showed no signs of ring rust and it was his crucial stumping of Moeen Ali, however controversial, that turned the game decisively in Australia's favour on day four.

Bancroft had scored a mountain of runs in the domestic circuit and his gritty second innings display, where he scored his maiden Test fifty, showed just why he is so highly regarded.

England's tail needs to learn to stand up

While facing up against hostile fast bowling isn't easy, they need to learn to make the most of their stay at the crease

One of the most interesting aspects of England in the last couple of years has been the amount of resistance that their tail has shown on a consistent basis. While having Bairstow at seven and Moeen Ali at eight certainly did help that, the likes of Woakes and Broad also played their part.

Their meek surrender in the second innings of Gabba Test was slightly surprising. Not least because the last three wickets managed to add 32 runs in the first innings. They were blown away in the second innings as the last three wickets fell for just one run. While facing up against hostile fast bowling isn't easy, they need to learn to make the most of their stay at the crease.

Considering the ease at which Australia got to the target an extra 30 runs might not have made much difference, but the psychological difference of chasing a 200+ target might have given England some hope.

We all need to talk about Alastair Cook

The manner of his dismissals at the Gabba will certainly worry England

117 runs in the three matches leading up to the most crucial series of the year aren't numbers you'd expect from England's all-time leading run-getter, who is on the verge of crossing 15,000 runs in international cricket. But there is something about Cook that just doesn't feel right. Not just in the lead-up to the Ashes but ever since he has given up captaincy.

While he did score a mammoth double century against West Indies, that remains his only century of the calendar year. The manner of his dismissals at the Gabba will certainly worry England but what would worry them more would be his general demeanour. When you have played close to 150 Tests, it is hard to get yourself motivated for every game.

But considering the lack of experience in the England top-order, England desperately need Cook to get back in top form.

Lyon walks the talk at the Gabba

He was everything Steve Smith asked of him

Out of character. That was what Nathan Lyon looked like when he was hurling words designed to intimidate and get into the minds of the English batsmen. The talk of "ending careers" before the Ashes was just that, talk. But the moment he got the ball in his hands at the Gabba, the familiar Lyon came to the fore.

There was plenty of bounce, even a little bit of turn and Lyon was making the English batsmen dance to his tune. While it was unusual to see a spinner to get that much assistance on a Gabba pitch, the 30-year-old offie certainly made the most of it.

He was everything Steve Smith asked of him. Bowl a dozen overs from one end? Done. Pick up key wickets? No problem. Don't let the English batsmen get away? Piece of cake. Five wickets in the match might not seem like much but it was enough to have his captain proclaim that he was bowling like a "genius".

England's new boys flourish while the old guard flounders

If there was a doubt about how James Vince and Mark Stoneman would perform, they answered it in style

While Matthew Hayden's comments regarding not knowing half the England squad might have been way off the mark, he certainly wasn't wrong about the inexperience of the England top-order. Barring Root and Cook, no other batsman in the top five had played more than 10 Tests in their career.

If there was a doubt about how James Vince, Mark Stoneman and Dawid Malan would perform, they answered it in style as they all scored a fifty on their Ashes debut. However, the experienced performers failed to step up. Alastair Cook didn't get to double digits in the game, Root couldn't convert his start into a big score like his opposite number.

Arguably, more worrying for England would be the performance of the seamers. While Broad and Anderson picked up five wickets, they couldn't drive home the advantage. The support from Chris Woakes and Jake Ball was almost non-existent. If England are to claw their way back into the Ashes, they need their seasoned campaigners to step up.