--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Big wins in the first Test of an Ashes…" description: "\"Big wins in the first Test of an Ashes series polarise everything moving forward.\" — Glenn McGrath" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/glenn-mcgrath-7662_ashes_big-wins-in-the-first-test-of-an-ashes-s_835701.png" --- # Big wins in the first Test of an Ashes series polarise… ![“Big wins in the first Test of an Ashes series polarise everything moving forward.” quote by Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/glenn-mcgrath-7662_ashes_big-wins-in-the-first-test-of-an-ashes-s_835701.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/glenn-mcgrath-7662_ashes_big-wins-in-the-first-test-of-an-ashes-s_835701.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/glenn-mcgrath-7662_ashes_big-wins-in-the-first-test-of-an-ashes-s_835701.png) > “Big wins in the first Test of an Ashes series polarise everything moving forward.” [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early victories in a high‑stakes series can shape expectations and pressure for the rest of the competition. **In simple terms:** Early wins set expectations for the series. Key Takeaway Maintain focus after early success. Themes sports competition expectations Mood determined analytical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - cricket matches - tournament series - season openings Key Concepts psychology of momentum team dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can teams stay grounded after a big win? - What strategies prevent over‑confidence? A Different Perspective Pressure can cause complacency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashes/) [Ashes Series](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashes-series-597864/) [Cricket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cricket/) [Everything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everything/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Moving forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-forward/) [Series Polarise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/series-polarise-597866/) [Test](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/test/) [Test Ashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/test-ashes-597865/) [Wins Test](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wins-test-412391/) ## Related quotes > [Trent Bridge, 2013, is my favourite Test. An Ashes opener and England won a thriller by 14 runs. I managed to take ten wickets, which helps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anderson/trent-bridge-2013-is-my-favourite-test-an-ashes-opener-and-england/) [James Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anderson/) > [I want to be part of the team that wins a Test series in England and Australia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-gambhir/i-want-to-be-part-of-the-team-that-wins-a-test-series-in-england-and/) [Gautam Gambhir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-gambhir/) > [Every time you're involved in an Ashes series, as soon as it finishes at the back of your mind you start thinking about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-root/every-time-you-re-involved-in-an-ashes-series-as-soon-as-it-finishes/) [Joe Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-root/) > [I think any time you lose an Ashes series, especially with the hype and build-up surrounding it and the pride we have as Australians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-ponting/i-think-any-time-you-lose-an-ashes-series-especially-with-the-hype/) [Ricky Ponting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-ponting/) > [“The Aussies have spent so much time basking in the glory of the last generation that they have forgotten to plan for this one.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-boycott/the-aussies-have-spent-so-much-time-basking-in-the-glory-of-the-last/) [Geoffrey Boycott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-boycott/) > [Everything goes out of the window when you start an Ashes series. It's about grabbing the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-bairstow/everything-goes-out-of-the-window-when-you-start-an-ashes-series-it-s/) [Jonny Bairstow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-bairstow/) > [You can't feel your way into an Ashes series, you have to be switched on from ball one. That's just me in a nutshell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stokes/you-can-t-feel-your-way-into-an-ashes-series-you-have-to-be-switched/) [Ben Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stokes/) > [In an Ashes series you have to adapt quickly to the conditions and your rivals. If you don't, you get found out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-bairstow/in-an-ashes-series-you-have-to-adapt-quickly-to-the-conditions-and/) [Jonny Bairstow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-bairstow/) > [I was a fortnight away from my 16th birthday when the fabled 2005 Ashes series ended. My hero-worship throughout it belonged to Ian Bell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-bairstow/i-was-a-fortnight-away-from-my-16th-birthday-when-the-fabled-2005/) [Jonny Bairstow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-bairstow/) > [My experience with Australia in the 1997 Ashes series taught me that fighting back is a combination of technique and mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/my-experience-with-australia-in-the-1997-ashes-series-taught-me-that/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [You can tell yourself that everything is normal, and try to keep the same routine from every other Test match, but there is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/you-can-tell-yourself-that-everything-is-normal-and-try-to-keep-the/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [Standing at the end of your run with the ball in your hand preparing to bowl the first ball of an Ashes series is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/standing-at-the-end-of-your-run-with-the-ball-in-your-hand-preparing/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [It's one of the greatest sporting environments you can be in, the first morning of an Ashes series. It's hard to explain, you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stokes/it-s-one-of-the-greatest-sporting-environments-you-can-be-in-the/) [Ben Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stokes/) > [All people seem to want to talk about is the current Ashes series, and whether England are going to reverse the trend of recent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-botham/all-people-seem-to-want-to-talk-about-is-the-current-ashes-series-and/) [Ian Botham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-botham/) > [“In the first Test of the 1938 Ashes series, Eddie Paynter and Stan McCabe became the first players on opposing sides to score double-centuries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-ulyate/in-the-first-test-of-the-1938-ashes-series-eddie-paynter-and-stan/) [Rodney Ulyate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-ulyate/) ## More by Glenn McGrath > [I had always had the same pre-match routine that I went through every day - get up, go down for a swim and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/i-had-always-had-the-same-pre-match-routine-that-i-went-through-every/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [An Australian prime minister once said that his job was the second most important job in the country - behind being captain of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/an-australian-prime-minister-once-said-that-his-job-was-the-second/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [I always wondered if I would know the right time to retire. After that first Ashes Test in Brisbane in 2006 I had no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/i-always-wondered-if-i-would-know-the-right-time-to-retire-after-that/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [If you've got one bowler - particularly a fast bowler - who is really aggressive, all over the opposition, he brings the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/if-you-ve-got-one-bowler-particularly-a-fast-bowler-who-is-really/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [I'd prefer to do the safari on foot, like they did in the old days and just take the camp with you, not driving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/i-d-prefer-to-do-the-safari-on-foot-like-they-did-in-the-old-days-and/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [My experience with Australia in the 1997 Ashes series taught me that fighting back is a combination of technique and mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/my-experience-with-australia-in-the-1997-ashes-series-taught-me-that/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [You can't go on living in past and having regrets. Its better people have a positive influence on other people's lives than worry about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/you-can-t-go-on-living-in-past-and-having-regrets-its-better-people/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [I loved playing at Lord's - I ended up with 26 wickets at 11.50 from three Tests there. Maybe the wicket, because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/i-loved-playing-at-lord-s-i-ended-up-with-26-wickets-at-11-50-from/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [What's the difference between a good player and a great player? A good player plays well in his own conditions - a great player…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/what-s-the-difference-between-a-good-player-and-a-great-player-a-good/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [The best thing about Lord's isn't the slope, it's just being there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/the-best-thing-about-lord-s-isn-t-the-slope-it-s-just-being-there/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [You still have to enjoy the tour games. If you go out there and just go through the motions, you can easily get into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/you-still-have-to-enjoy-the-tour-games-if-you-go-out-there-and-just/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [You expect to cop a bit wherever you go. In the past there hasn't been any racism or any racist comments that I've seen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/you-expect-to-cop-a-bit-wherever-you-go-in-the-past-there-hasn-t-been/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [If you continually watch yourself do something well, it has a positive effect. If you sat down and watched yourself bowling, batting or fielding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/if-you-continually-watch-yourself-do-something-well-it-has-a-positive/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [My strength was probably more the mental side of the game rather than the skill side. I always had that self-belief that I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/my-strength-was-probably-more-the-mental-side-of-the-game-rather-than/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) > [When I played in the Australia team the captains were all nerds. Allan Border was a nerd, Mark Taylor was a nerd, Steve Waugh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/when-i-played-in-the-australia-team-the-captains-were-all-nerds-allan/) [Glenn McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) [Explore all 89 Glenn McGrath quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/) ## More Ashes quotes > [You can flush my ashes down the toilet, for all I care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-flush-my-ashes-down-the-toilet-for-all-i-care/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-that-is-gold-does-not-glitter-not-all-those-who-wander-are-lost/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't want to have a gravestone. I want to have all my friends burn me and then snort the ashes. I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-don-t-want-to-have-a-gravestone-i-want-to-have-all-my-friends-burn/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [He said that he will never let you cry,he will always be there for you no matter how hard the situation is,that he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhra/he-said-that-he-will-never-let-you-cry-he-will-always-be-there-for/) [Zhra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhra/) > [“The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-past-is-to-be-learned-from-but-not-lived-in-we-look-back-to-claim/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Much can they praise the trees so straight and high, The sailing pine,the cedar proud and tall, The vine-prop elm, the poplar never dry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/much-can-they-praise-the-trees-so-straight-and-high-the-sailing-pine/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [When any civilization is dust and ashes," he said, "art is all that's left over. Images, words, music. Imaginative structures. Meaning—human meaning, that is—is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-any-civilization-is-dust-and-ashes-he-said-art-is-all-that-s/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Man is a noble animal, splendid in ashes, and pompous in the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/man-is-a-noble-animal-splendid-in-ashes-and-pompous-in-the-grave/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [“Bury us, and mark our names above. Let us be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/bury-us-and-mark-our-names-above-let-us-be-free/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [There is nothing quite like an Ashes trip Down Under.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anderson/there-is-nothing-quite-like-an-ashes-trip-down-under/) [James Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anderson/) > [I think momentum is huge in sport, especially in a series like the Ashes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stokes/i-think-momentum-is-huge-in-sport-especially-in-a-series-like-the/) [Ben Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stokes/) > [Mark how fleeting and paltry is the estate of man-yesterday in embryo, tomorrow a mummy or ashes. So for the hairsbreadth of time assigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/mark-how-fleeting-and-paltry-is-the-estate-of-man-yesterday-in-embryo/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“When you burn a bridge, you have to be prepared to live with some ashes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-coppernoll/when-you-burn-a-bridge-you-have-to-be-prepared-to-live-with-some-ashes/) [Chris Coppernoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-coppernoll/) > [I would rather be ashes than dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-ashes-than-dust/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) [Browse all 900 Ashes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Big wins in the first Test of an Ashes series polarise everything moving forward.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Glenn McGrath" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/big-wins-in-the-first-test-of-an-ashes-series-polarise-everything/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ashes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/big-wins-in-the-first-test-of-an-ashes-series-polarise-everything/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/glenn-mcgrath-7662_ashes_big-wins-in-the-first-test-of-an-ashes-s_835701.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/glenn-mcgrath-7662_ashes_big-wins-in-the-first-test-of-an-ashes-s_835701.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61a/glenn-mcgrath-7662_ashes_big-wins-in-the-first-test-of-an-ashes-s_835701.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Big wins in the first Test of an Ashes series polarise everything moving forward.” — Glenn McGrath", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Glenn McGrath", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcgrath/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Big wins in the first Test...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/big-wins-in-the-first-test-of-an-ashes-series-polarise-everything/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcgrath/big-wins-in-the-first-test-of-an-ashes-series-polarise-everything/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```