Bowlers have played critical roles both in Australia’s poor performances in the defeats at Cardiff and Edgbaston and in the massive victory at Lord’s in Ashes 2015. Australia have smiled when their bowlers have been on song, but the pain has been evident on most of the gloomy days. Touted to disintegrate England further in their encounters, the Australian bowlers carried immense hopes into the series. But they have generally struggled to make a mark and use the conditions to their advantage. Australia’s bowling coach Craig McDermott, the recently-retired Ryan Harris, and in particular, Mitchell Johnson, need to take a stock of the grim situation, says Devarchit Varma.
The massive blow Australia suffered after Ryan Harris seems to be hurting them even after three Tests. It is never easy for any international side to fill the void immediately created by the unavailability of a star bowler; in Australia’s case, the chasm left after Harris announced retirement seems massive with every passing day. The troika of Mitchell Johnson, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc had done a fair job till then, but Australia have not got the desired performances from their three frontline bowlers for a major part in The Ashes.
The scoreboard pressure on the hosts gave Australian bowlers a shot in the arm to go after England at Lord’s, but when their batsmen faltered, they failed to step up as well. The first Test at Cardiff could be treated as an exemption: no one expected England to dish out a pitch as docile, but the quality that Australia possess is significantly better than what their performances in challenging situations suggest. READ: Nottinghamshire desperate to produce better pitch
Johnson, in particular, has not enjoyed the support from the other bowlers which he got when he tormented England in The 2013-14 Ashes. The quality of Harris was superior to that of Starc and Hazlewood — or perhaps the two of them put together. The English pitches have not favoured him either: a bowler like him characteristically feasts on bouncy and pace-friendly wickets cannot be expected to run through opponents on flat decks. And then, there are his own shortcomings as well. READ: Shane Warne insists Michael Clarke bat at No. 5 to keep series alive
Johnson, in this series, stands as an epitome of inconsistency. There have been those occasional sparks of brilliance. The two unplayable deliveries to Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes on the third morning at Edgbaston showed once again why he is a bowler of high quality. But he lost his shine within seconds and digressed into relative mediocrity the remainder of the innings. Indeed, his mental preparations against raucous England fans has ensured he remains mentally fit for the contests, but Australia need him to lead from the front in the remaining two Tests in order to return home on a happy note. READ: Ian Bell expects Australia to come back hard
The way Johnson has bowled is also a matter of concern. He has generated pace and bounce, but has looked far off from being the haunting figure that many England batsmen still fear from. All is still not lost; there is plenty of cricket left in the series; and if Johnson is able to rediscover the mojo he had in the last Ashes, he may pull it off with support from his two younger seamers.
Hazlewood reminds a lot about Australian bowling coach Craig McDermott of his playing days. But his persistence with traditional bowling lines to left-handers — in other words, not attacking the wickets more and making the batsmen play on a consistent basis — has led him to underperform. READ: Australia desperately need Mitchell Starc to strike in Ashes 2015
It would be safe to say Starc has been a disappointment. All the talks from Shane Warne that fired up Starc before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 seem to have lost their effect. Like Johnson, Starc keeps swaying with his bowling plans. It has been often the case that Starc has bowled an atrocious delivery right after a dangerous one, thus losing all the impact created earlier.
Australia need their bowlers to be disciplined, and a lot depends on the background work McDermott and Harris do with Johnson (in particular) and the other two youngsters in the build-up to the fourth Test at Trent Bridge will be very important. Defeats and raucous crowds have been as difficult for them to tackle as has been the case for the batsmen, but if Australia have to win, they must find their own way. Being undisciplined and ordinary will not help their cause, and the next two Tests will be heavily influenced by how they bowl.
(Devarchit Varma is a reporter with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)
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