Former England skipper Nasser Hussain reckons the visitors should not have picked five English-type seamers just because they are playing a day-night Test in Adelaide against Australia in Ashes.
England decided to play James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes.
Anderson and Woakes are known to swing the ball both ways while Broad and Robinson are known to seam the ball. Thus, all the four fast bowlers are one-dimensional.
On the other hand, Jack Leach had an expensive outing in the opening Test as he leaked 102 in 13 overs while Mark Wood had impressed in the first Test. Wood had bowled with impressive pace and he scalped three wickets in the first innings.
Moreover England were docked five WTC points for slow over rate in the first Test. As the tourists are again playing five fast bowlers, it is not going to be easy for them to bowl for their overs on time.
Nasser Hussain wrote for Daily Mail, “Chris Silverwood and Joe Root should not have picked five English-type seamers just because they are playing a day-night Test in Adelaide. It’s not the first time they have done this either. In Ahmedabad, last winter England played four seamers against India and then saw 28 of the 30 wickets that fell going to spin.”
“There were long periods of play when the pitch was slow and flat and they needed a specialist spinner or the extra pace and X-factor of Mark Wood. But they had picked the side in Adelaide they should have played last week in Brisbane on a green top and they clearly do not rate their spinner in Jack Leach, not if they are leaving him out here.”
Meanwhile, Hussain added that England haven’t done anything differently in the ongoing series. Australia have once again put their noses ahead as they have thus far scored 291-4 in the first innings.
“I cannot fault England’s efforts but they did bowl too short. The England bowlers were too worried about going for runs and did not bowl full enough. I know England lost Jofra Archer and Olly Stone before this series but Silverwood has been saying for two years now that they need pace in Australia.”
Hussain continued: “And Root has said that if England do what they’ve always done in Australia, they will be beaten again. But they have not done much differently so far in this series.”
