As Australian cricket fans watch the Test against South Africa in Perth, they can’t help but keep one eye on the spectre that is the 2013 Ashes series.
Spiro has astutely concluded that the Australian cricket team, as it stands, does not have the shape to win back the Ashes in 2013.
So what does Spiro mean when he talks about shape in a cricket team?
A cricket team must be balanced so that it may deal with a number of different variables. This means a team (and a captain) must also have a diverse range of skills in order to address the various situations that may be encountered.
While the Australian team is currently playing close to their best, I believe that the lack of shape will mean that their best, put simply, will not be good enough against the English in 2013.
So in this three part series I want to address three crucial areas for Australia’s playing stocks moving forward:
• The quicks
• The batsmen and
• The area closest to my heart, the spinners.
First, it is important for us to accept that our pace attack is two dimensional and at times (especially during those fourth and fifth days) it can be like watching a butter knife cut steak.
An attack of Siddle/Hilfenhaus and Pattinson, while perfect on paper (i.e. Siddle the hard deck bowler, Hilfenhaus the swing bowler and Pattinson the strike bowler), in reality does not seem to threaten to the level we need from our opening bowlers.
After watching what young Kiwi Trent Boult could do with the ball last night in the Sri Lanka test, you could not help but draw comparisons with Mitchell Starc.
Boult is growing immeasurably from game to game, after being exposed to conditions and batsmen like Jayawardene, Sangakarra and Dilshan (on one occasion he cut the latter in half with an incredible late inswinger) – Starc needs this experience.
Starc should permanently take the place of Ben Hilfenhaus. He would provide the Australian attack with youth, hunger and a left arm option.
Siddle must hold his place. Which leaves the one quick spot open in the Australian team.
Here are the contenders. Note that I haven’t mentioned Pat Cummins – I am sick of him and his injuries:
• Josh Hazlewood: Young up and comer, who has gone through the system (so is the heavy favourite despite indifferent statistics: 15 FC matches, 41 wickets at 31.97, at a strike rate of a wicket every 10 overs).
• Jackson Bird (who ironically took six wickets in the game in which Mitch Johnson took four, leading to reselection in the Aussie squad). Bird is my pick of the bowlers. He is developing into a niggling, Glenn McGrath/Stuart Clark back-of-a-length style bowler – he should be a serious contender (Bird, in 17 FC games, has captured 87 wickets at 19.72 with a strike rate of a wicket every 6.5 overs).
• Ben Cutting – returning from injury and looking like he is in some good domestic form – one to watch
• Nathan Coulter-Nile: the dark horse of the pack, very highly rated by Mickey Arthur, and consistent in his performances for Australia A against England earlier this year.
I am really interested to hear what Roarers believe would be the best pace attack leading into the 2013 Ashes.
In my view, considering the conditions:
– Jackson Bird, a back of the length seamer for the green top wicket.
– Mitchell Starc, a genuine swing bowler to use the Duke during an overcast morning, and to provide some difference in angle across the right hander (and also the ability to swing it away from Alastair Cook).
– Siddle, to embrace the journeyman aspects of his bowling and to keep an abrasive and aggressive bowler in the attack
– Pattinson (if he is fit) to lead the attack, hoping he can find that 145 pace bracket once again
david Nicholls
Guest
As a Pom all I can say is "You are going to get a damn good thrashing, and deservedly so".
James Vaughan
Roar Rookie
Add a fit Harris to that list and you're on fire
Pravin
Guest
why is mitchell johnson getting back in australian squad. He is finished and need to retire to make australia no 1.The team for australia against sri lanka should be ed cowan Marcus North usmaan Kwaja/phil hughes micheal clarke micheal hussey shane watson Matthew wade/Tim paine Jackson Bird Peter Siddle Xavie Doherty/Nathan lyon Mitchell Starc
matt h
Guest
Not forgotten, but at his age, and with chronic knee problems, he is probably only good for a bowl here or there. Damn shame, he is easily the best of the lot right now (as opposed to "potential", which some confuse with performance)
Pies&Beer
Guest
Hilfenhaus if anything has a great economy rate which is what Clark ad McGrath had. Of course those two picked up wickets regularly and were impeccable with line and length. However Hilfenhaus is the closest thing we have to that at the moment. Even if he picks up 1-2 wickets per innings, as long as he dries up runs on one end then a strike bowler like Siddle, Pattinson, Starc etc can cash in on the other end with frusturated batsmen.
Joshua Kayll
Roar Rookie
Hilfy has to play in England in my opinion. He was our best bowler in England last time we were over there and he will lap up the swinging conditions in the UK. Ignore his last Ashes series as he clearly wasn't right. Should he return to the high arm action that has brought him all these wickets in the past, he can act as our main swing bowler as well as being a good accurate bowler who can bowl long spells. So versatile to have when he is bowling well. Top article John, creates some very good discussion!
Trev
Roar Rookie
If Harris is fit then he is by far out best fast bowler. Can bowl around 150km and can also swing it.,but as I said he needs too stay fit. I'm a bit surprised people seem too have forgotten about him.
buddha9
Guest
well second day in perth showed what australian cricket is currently made of and it doesn’t look like much — nonsense being sprouted that you can give england a run in the ashes is just that, nonsense — Aussies bowled badly but they batted worse — if warner is a test opener i’m a dutchman’s jockstrap in fact the batting looks pretty much as it did in 2010 against the poms : undisciplined , overly dependent on hussey and clarke, full of people who make bad choices, who don’t know how to bat out a day and with a long tail As for the bowling: no one can bowl a tight line and save runs; hastings bowling into the breeze hasn’t swung a ball all game, Stac is running in on his tiptoes likes he’s frightened of giving it his all because he’s desperately trying not to spray ditto mitchell J; lyons will get milked; and what else you got? siddle? helfinhouse — please none of these two look any better than they did in england and then in 2010 in oz — the reason you’ve been in the first two games was because SA played badly while the aussie gave it their all as they always do — problem is giving it your all will only go so far if talent is lacking — england just out batted and out bowled india in india — they won’t have a issue with you guys — 3/0 and 2-1
David
Guest
How does Josh Hazlewood get a mention here? His stats are terrible and he hasn't been a consistent wicket taker. He really needs a lot more improvement and consistency before being close to selection. I really feel for Hilfenhaus... I still believe he is a quality player and just needs a bit of luck. He bowls with nice shape, needs to bowl the same length that our previous bowling coach wanted, needs to pitch it up on a fuller length to let his swing really be a danger. I can see some similarities between his swing bowling and jimmy anderson from england and we know how good of a bowler he is. Hopefully Hilfy can find his groove again!
Red Kev
Guest
Pattinson, Cummins, Siddle, Starc, Bird and Cutting as the six-man pace stable and pick who you want from game to game.
Andy_Roo
Roar Guru
John, if you want to talk aout the team being able to adapt then think about more than just the three pace bowlers who might be in the team at any one time. Australia will take at least 17, maybe 18 players to England. On that basis I think Siddle, Hilenhaus, Pattinson and Starc will all go, along with Bird and maybe Hastings or Hazelwood. And Johnno your world class attack cannot be called anything near to world class until they actually play and perform at a consistent level. Cummins has only played 1 test, Starc not many more. Potential yes, lots of it, but one performance does not make a champion.
Chui
Guest
You haven't mentioned Cummins because you are sick of his injuries? Seems strange to rule out a young kid because of a few injuries. Does he get injured intentionally? He's out there busting a gut, and doing things that kids his age shouldn't be capable of, and he's punished for it. I note that spinners are close to your heart, so maybe you don't appreciate the rigours of pace bowling. I think we have a great crop of fast bowlers at the moment that could really turn into something special. Hazelwood's figures are a bit askew. He's had to come back from back fractures that weren't diagnosed. He's going to take some time to get back to full strength and pace, but he's coming along nicely. Bird has been very unlucky, and agree should have been in before Hastings. Pattinson has proved worthy, and now Starc is getting a chance to show his wres in the long form of the game. I, for one, look forward to watching Australia's pace stocks in the future
TheSilentProgressor
Guest
I was saying before the series that if you have a left arm quick in Starc who is able to consistently swing the ball back into right handers then he should always be picked!! It offers so much variety to the attack and it is incredibly hard for a right handed batter to play. Going into the ashes i would pick an attack of: Pattinson, SIddle, Starc, Watson and Lyon. Hilfenhaus while a good toiler has lacked any real penetration this summer and his pace seems to have dropped off again, he could still be a useful bowler especially in England where he will probably find some swing, but Starc should be played against him. Cummins needs to overcome his injury problems and start playing some more FC cricket, he is immensely talented and will replace Siddle in the attack one-day but he needs to get back to playing consistently before he can be serisouly considered. I have yet to see Bird but his figures are very impressive and i find it hard to believe that Hastings and Johnson were preferred to him in this test match.
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
And this is exactly why the current team and management are struggling. They are too caught up in what might or might not happen many months down the track. Yet they are playing the World No.1 side RIGHT NOW. Then there is the little inconvenience of the Sri Lankans, and I am sure any number of indistinguishable T20 tournaments, err sorry, world championships, before they head to the UK. Lets win this match first, eh? You are really only as good as your last game and the only game that really matters is the current one.
Josh
Guest
I think we need 6 or 7 bowlers to be competing. For mine this list includes Pattison, Siddle, Starc, Bird, Cutting, Hilfernhaus, Hazelwoo and Johnson as the 8 choices at this stage. I feel that Bird and Cutting were unlucky not to get in the current squad
Gee John, don't you think you need to finish us off before concerning yourslef with England? ;)
Johnno
Guest
How Jackson Bird, who clearly has recent form on the WACA . How Hastings got picked ahead of him I will never know. Bird's figures are very impressive. And on a side note Mitch Starc wow, he sure has developed in the last year. He got some of the most lovely shape on the ball I have seen in a long time He uses the air really well, getting th ball to move and shape in the air. The ball he got Kallis out was near unplayable , as good as a perfect cricket delivery from a left armer you will see, you could not basically bowl a a better delivery , that was almost unplayable that delivery. So the quicks if they can all get to full fitness we will have some genuine world class bowlers. The one that is so sad is Pat Cummins, as he too me is the pick of the bunch and the most talented. But just injuries are holding him back. If he was fit then the best attack we could put out would be this Our no 1 attack -Pat Cummins -James Pattinson -Mitchell Starc -Nathan Lyon -Shane Watson -That is a genuine World class attack. Our 2nd best attack -Mitchell Johnson -Peter Siddle -Jackson Bird -Josh Hazelwood No spinner else i have mentioned coz other than Nathan Lyon no one is stepping up at all. Maybe Hauritz but he has not done match in a while. And some other young players like Nathan Coulter. The big problem is getting them on the pitch and fit.