Australia's bowling will be too much for England
Mon, Jul 06 2015 , by Garfield Robinson
Which Aussie pacer will be the master-chef during the 2015 Ashes series?
If it were possible, the English cricket community would have their collective memories wiped clean of the last Ashes encounter. From start to finish it was a torturous, drawn-out experience that set in motion a period of discord and confusion. Some measure of that chaos still hangs over English cricket like a curse, and one certain way to exorcise that curse would be for Alastair Cook and his men to snatch the urn back from their eternal arch-adversaries. Were I a betting man, however, I'd put my money on the visitors retaining the Ashes with little difficulty.
In November 2013, England ran headlong into the hurricane that was Mitchell Johnson. For that, and the total catastrophe that followed, they should not really be faulted. It is far from certain that any batting unit from any era could have come through that storm unscathed, and Johnson's winds, ably augmented by those of Ryan Harris and the more palatable yet potent offerings from the other members of their attack, defied any serious resistance. Furthermore, if anyone thought it was the relative feebleness of England's batting why the left-hander seemed so overwhelming, then it should be recalled that soon afterwards the top-ranked South Africans were likewise persecuted by the pacer.
This time, however, it is unlikely Johnson will be as heavy a burden for England's batting to bear. For one, the conditions will be different. England's surfaces will probably not be as conducive to the kind of hostility in which the pacer dealt on the more sprightly Australian pitches. Secondly, having watched him recently, the visitor's spearhead is no longer bowling with the kind of pace and menace he did last time. This was, in some ways, inevitable. Only Superman could have sustained that level of power for such an extended period. England still has much to fear from Johnson, but he will not be the demon he was in Australia during the 2013-14 series.
But Johnson's slight forfeiture of his superhuman abilities should not really be cause for celebration in the English camp. If anything, Australia's bowling, on the whole, might be even better than it was during England's last visit Down Under. Injury has forced the admirable Ryan Harris into retirement but I'd be surprised if Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood don't prove to be very disruptive to England's line-up.
England recently tied their series in the Caribbean 1-1, and actually might have lost hadn't the West Indies needlessly and dramatically collapsed on the fifth day in Grenada after seeming to be comfortably placed. Australia toured immediately afterwards and wiped the floor with their opponents, as the West Indies batsmen could find no answer to Starc or Hazlewood, who won the Man of the Series award.
England's batting is, of course, much sturdier than their Caribbean counterparts, and the conditions in England are vastly different. The hosts would be justifiably worried about the threat posed by Johnson, yet Hazlewood and Starc have both recently shown that their opponents should be just as concerned about them.
Hazlewood is steady, his aim impeccable, and operates at a lively pace. If there is movement available - as there often is in English conditions - he'll be more than a handful. Starc, player of the tournament for Cricket World Cup 2015, is rapid and elicits the kind of devilish swing from a full length that makes survival against the new ball, if he gets it right, a most difficult proposition. His pace and swing, lovely to those of us fortunate enough to be watching, lethal to those unfortunate enough to have to play it, could well be one of the highlights of the summer.
The visitors should also come out ahead in the spin-bowling department. Nathan Lyon is hardly regarded as a slow-bowling maestro, but he is now an improved and trusted component of his side's bowling unit. In the meanwhile England has found it impossible to fill the gaping hole left in the wake Graeme Swann's retirement. Moeen Ali has put in a few good performances. For instance, he was excellent when India toured in 2014. But I'm willing to wager that England's spinning division will still be an area of concern at the conclusion of the tour.
Australia lost the Ashes on their 2013 visit. Ian Bell excelled during that engagement, and despite important hundreds from Joe Root and Kevin Pietersen, it could nevertheless be said that England's batting marginally disappointed against an attack that held no real terrors apart from the bowling of Ryan Harris. This time the Aussies come better equipped. Their bowling resources are richer and England's batting will need to dig much deeper if they are to supply enough runs to enable their team to win.
This is not to suggest that batsmen of the quality of Cook, Balance, Root and Bell are going to consistently fall without a fight; I'm sure they will win some battles. It has to be considered also that England will field a very competent pace attack. We all know what Anderson can do; on song he is the most adept swinger of a cricket ball in the world, and given tailor-made conditions has the capacity to win a game almost single-handedly.
Still, if the bowling available to both sides are placed on a balance, it is the Australian side that will be the weightier. Harris' unfortunate retirement is a blow for the Aussies because he has shown the serious damage he is able to inflict. But, in Johnson, Hazlewood, Starc and Lyon, Australia has more than enough fire-power to ensure that the Ashes remain Down Under.
© Cricbuzz
