Steve Smith reckons that England have got their selection wrong with regard to their bowling attack, by picking their quickest bowlers over the nibbling seamers who have been successful down under over the past few summers.
England have touched down in Australia with a bowling attack boasting bowlers capable of operating at high pace. This will be the first time since 2009 that England will play an Ashes series without James Anderson or Stuart Broad in their ranks. The legendary fast-bowling duo were renowned for moving the ball both ways.
Of the current crop of pacers, only Mark Wood has prior experience of playing Tests in Australia. Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse all possess extra pace, but they are inexperienced.
When asked if it was easier to face out-and-out pace than seamers on Australian pitches, Smith said that the England pacers had got it the ‘wrong way’ this time around.
“Those sorts of nibblers can be quite tricky,” Smith said, as reported by cricket.com.au. “So they might have got things the wrong way around, if that makes sense, in terms of the pace from previous years. But obviously they’ve got those guys at their disposal now. They probably weren’t fit, ready or old enough a few years back.”
In comparison to England, Australia boast a more rounded bowling attack. Even with Pat Cummins missing, they have enough options and quality on the bench to do well in the Ashes opener in Perth, starting on 21 November. Smith, who has struck a century and twin fifties on his Sheffield Shield return, is in fine form and will be key both as stand-in captain and batter in the first Test.
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