Owais Shah believes Australia’s pace attack is missing the “X-factor” without injured duo Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee as the world champions head into their one-day series with England.
Shah made his comments after scoring 92 for Middlesex in a five-wicket loss to Australia at Lord’s here on Saturday in the tourists’ final fixture before their five-match one-day campaign against England starts at the Rose Bowl, Hampshire’s headquarters, on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old, a veteran of 71 one-day internationals, has not been selected for the upcoming series after England, the return of Test captain Andrew Strauss excepted, stuck by the batsmen who helped them beat Australia in last month’s World Twenty20 final in Barbados.
Of the Australia quicks on show at Lord’s, only left-armer Doug Bollinger – rated a “class act” by Shah – with three wickets for 24 runs in eight overs looked impressive.
Ryan Harris’s nine wicketless overs cost 47 runs, Clint McKay took one for 60 in 10 and medium-pacer Shane Watson conceded 44 runs in seven overs although the all-rounder did take a wicket.
Shah, who last played a one-dayer for England against Australia in October, saw marked differences between the current Aussie team and the one that thrashed England 6-1 in a one-day series last year after losing the Ashes.
“What you get with an Australian attack, they do the basics well,” he said.
“But one thing I would say is that there wasn’t the firepower around, like with Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee last summer when England lost quite heavily to Australia. That could be the difference.”
Shah added: “They’ve still got a good, well-balanced attack with a couple of spinners and guys who bowl good slower balls.
“It will be a toughly fought contest against England but they definitely don’t have the ‘X-factor’ they did when Johnson (out with an elbow injury) and Lee (sidelines by both arm and elbow problems) were playing.
“I don’t think the England team will fear anyone, especially coming off the back of winning the Twenty20 World Cup.”
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