Series Preview Part 3 - The Bowlers

Part three of this rather overlong preview focuses on the most important players in any side, the bowlers.

Dennis Lillee once referred to Mitchell Johnson as a once in a generation bowler. An unkind observer would take this to mean that only once in a generation is a bowler so hyped and then fails to deliver, but that would be a little unfair. When he gets it right, Johnson, as the South Africans found, can be quite a handful, but the flaws in his action and, it would appear, his temperament can play havoc with his consistency. His performance at Lord’s in 2009 is well documented, but his bowling in the first innings at the Oval really encapsulated his problems – having bowled two incredibly hostile overs at Ian Bell he then let the England batsman off the hook by scattering wides and half volleys. He may do better to cut his pace slightly and bowl round the wicket more, especially as he struggles to swing the ball back in to right handers, but the suspicion is that he will simply run up and try to bowl as fast as he can. His batting, too, has declined since the South African series, although he made a first class hundred last week which will have done his confidence the world of good. The biggest enigma in world cricket, Mojo Mitch could be the Man of the Series or he could be out of the side by Melbourne.

Stuart Broad finally seems to be growing up, although he should have been banned in the summer for petulantly throwing the ball at Zulqarnain Haider. Having gone through a batting trough he returned to form in spectacular style with 169 at Lord’s and his bowling continues to improve, although he can be prone to overdoing the short pitched stuff, which would be fatal against this side. If he can get his length right he could be quite a proposition on bouncy Australian pitches and England may well need his lower order runs at some point in the series. When England last won in Australia his father was Man of the Series and he’ll be keen to keep it in the family.

Xavier Doherty is the unknown quantity of the Australian side. At twenty eight it would be reasonable to expect him to have a rather better first class record than he has, but England can’t afford to be complacent against him. On his one day international debut he impressed with a smart run out and three quick wickets, but he looks more Richard Illingworth than Bishen Bedi.

Graeme Swann is the best bowler on either side. A big spinner of the ball, with excellent control and a devastating arm ball, he could be the difference between the two sides. Off spinners have often struggled in Australia in the past, but he will enjoy bowling to the left handers and is experienced enough to remain phlegmatic if things are going against him. Australia will also need to be wary of his extraordinary record of taking wickets in the first overs of spells. Arguably the best number nine in world cricket and a safe pair of hands in the slips, Swann’s performances could be crucial.

Ben Hilfenhaus has emerged over the last couple of years as Australia’s most reliable new ball bowler. Excellent in swinging conditions, he has worked hard on his game to make the most of his ability even when the ball isn’t swinging and he can also generally be relied on to keep control at one end. One anomaly is that he has yet to take five wickets in a test innings – he’ll be looking to rectify that as soon as possible,

The days when no-one knew what was going to happen when James Anderson started a spell are receding. He still has some days when the radar isn’t quite what it might be, but he has developed into a dangerous new bowler who deserves his ranking at number four in the world. Of course, he is more dangerous when the ball is swinging, but, like Hilfenhaus, he has worked hard to make himself more effective in all conditions. Australians expecting him to bowl as he did in 2006/7 will be in for a surprise, and he is also the best fielding fast bowler around and an improved tail ender.

Any England supporter whose only experience of watching Doug Bollinger came this summer shouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security. He struggled with his line in England and then missed the India series through injury, but he can be quite a handful on bouncy pitches and never gives anything less than his all.

Steve Finn is England’s wild card, but has made an impressive start to his test career. Tall, with a strong, repeatable action, he can generate good pace and bounce. He’ll need to make sure that he gets his length right and not bowl too short but if he can then he could be a very tricky customer indeed. Unlike Broad and Anderson he isn’t a big swinger of the ball so shouldn’t be disadvantaged at all by the ball or the conditions.