Online Reporter
England’s fast bowling cartel are relishing playing in Australian conditions with star quick Jofra Archer in a “happy place” and brimming with confidence while Mark Wood is “full of energy”.
That’s the view of strapping fellow paceman Brydon Carse who is one of six speedsters in the tourists’ squad vying to be in the XI for the first test starting in Perth on Friday.
Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, and Josh Tongue are the others.
“Look, it’s exciting,” South African-born Carse said after England’s only warm-up game against a second-tier England Lions ended on Saturday.
“I think we’ve got a group of six bowlers who, whatever dynamic we go with, we’re relishing those conditions.”
England are yet to decide whether they go with an all-out pace attack at Perth Stadium where the wicket is renowned as fast and bouncy, or include a spinner.
During the three-day warm-up, specialist spinner Shoaib Bashir played for the Lions with part-timer Joe Root bowling 14.5 overs to take the pressure off the frontline quicks.
Injury-prone Archer is firming for selection after making it through the warm-up unscathed, while Wood was cleared of any major issues after complaining of hamstring stiffness on day one.
“He’s really confident going into the series, I think he’s in a happy place where his body’s at and his cricket,” Carse said of Archer who is two tests into his comeback after four years of fitness setbacks.
“It’s just so good to have him fully fit and around the group.
“He’s obviously got that X-factor, and he’s shown that around the world. So it’s very exciting that he’s in our bowling line-up.”
Carse also said Wood was in high spirits after his injury scare.
“He’s obviously received that positive news. So he’s all up and about and full of energy at the moment,” Carse said.
“He’s got a huge amount of resilience,
“You look back at some of the setbacks that he’s had over his career, to keep coming out and keep going through the processes to get back out on the field, it’s very exciting, and it shows the sort of character that he has.”
A battered Australia head into the test without injured pace spearheads Pat Cummins (back) and Josh Hazlewood (hamstring).
Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and spinner Nathan Lyon are set to lead the weakened attack with Brendan Doggett looking likely to make his debut.
Meanwhile, Joe Root heads into the Ashes, beginning on Friday in Perth, ranked as the world’s best batsman with a colossal 39 test hundreds to his name… but still waiting for his first ton in Australia.
Only Sachin Tendulkar has scored more than Root’s 13 543 test runs and the retired Indian’s tally of nearly 15 921 looks within reach of the 34-year-old Englishman.
Root’s return of 892 runs in 14 tests in Australia at an average of 35.68 is not shabby and for his many admirers, his lack of a test century Down Under is not a huge deal.
But other observers believe Root must reach three figures in Australia to cement his status among the best ever to wield a bat.
Darren Lehmann, Australia’s coach when they swept the 2013/14 Ashes series 5-0, said Root needs to break his duck to be considered an “all-time great” alongside Virat Kohli of India, Australia’s Steve Smith and New Zealander Kane Williamson.
Darren Gough agrees the pressure is on the former captain to deliver despite his astonishing achievements.
If the batsman “wants to be truly regarded as a world great” he needs a century in Australia, the former England paceman told Talksport.
But former Australia captain Ian Chappell believes the debate is overblown.
“His record in Australia – OK, he hasn’t made a hundred, but he still averages 35 in Australia which is not bad… It’s not like he’s failed in Australia,” Chappell told Wide World of Sports.
“He’s made decent scores – he just hasn’t got a hundred.”
Given Root’s orthodox technique and proven ability to bat for long periods, it is surprising the Yorkshireman has such a glaring hole on his CV.
Several factors are in play, starting with his fondness for scoring runs behind square on the off side – a hugely productive area but one that is risky on Australian pitches that are among the quickest in the world.
“Clearly, the late glide through third man that he plays on a regular basis in the UK, it does just bounce a little bit more (in Australia),” former England captain Michael Vaughan told the BBC.
Another issue is that Root has faced fast bowlers in peak form on previous tours, with left-armer Mitchell Johnson dominating the 2013/14 series. —SuperSport.
