Somewhere in my attic, among the bags of old clothes and Christmas decorations, is a box of video cassettes.
I’m not so sure where I got it from, but it’s the highlights of Australia versus West Indies during the summer of 1992-93.
Without resorting to various Youtube clips, I can visualise Brian Lara announcing himself to a world audience with a sublime double century at the SCG, Craig McDermott being caught off Courtney Walsh at Adelaide with a series victory in touching distance, and Shane Warne delivering an early display of his ample gifts in the home win at the MCG.
Yet the standout few minutes on the tape are those which concern Curtly Ambrose’s decimation of the Australian order on a WACA trampoline.
Figures of 18-9-25-7, incorporating a scarcely believable spell of 7-1, need little in the way of hyperbole, but safe to say it was the kind of display that is all too rare.
The arrival on my desk at work of a review copy of Ambrose’s recently published autobiography – Time to Talk – coincided neatly with West Indies’ ongoing war of attrition against England in the Caribbean and all the more so given that Ambrose is on the hosts’ coaching staff.
It was a pleasant surprise to hear him give an informative and animated interview to Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain, a stark contrast to the virtually silent predator who caused havoc across the world.
It was the simplicity of the message he presented that stood out, and it’s one worth listening and adhering to in these days of over-complicated methods and styles.
Quite simply, Ambrose preached the benefits of a patient approach. Dry the scoring up, stick to a plan, give nothing away and the rewards will follow. This might sound like the ramblings of a man stuck in the past in these days of high-octane, instantly gratifying cricket, but tried and trusted wisdom shouldn’t be brushed to one side.
On the pitches being encountered by England as we speak, the very same which Australia are about to have to negotiate and the ones likely to serve the upcoming Ashes, it is a method that works and consistently so.
Pace is a decent asset to have in the armoury, but it isn’t the only thing. Ambrose could bowl quickly when it was required, as could Glenn McGrath who utilised a very similar approach, but perseverance and repetition were their weapons of choice and the threat of being able to up a gear kept those at the other end honest.
If the 22 yards in front of you negate the speed of the delivery to a certain degree, a factor that can be applicable when top-level batsman are involved, changing the emphasis from attack to an attacking kind of defence is a good way to go.
England get a lot of stick for their way of playing, but it suits what they have and the criticism is never really forthcoming when the results fall into place. The methodical way Australia bowled in 2013, without the pace of Mitchell Johnson, was quickly forgotten with the batting falling well short of standard and the series being lost.
The talk from some of those covering England’s current series is that James Anderson and Stuart Broad are down on pace and this is presented as a major flaw. But does a decrease in speed equate to a decrease in effectiveness? I would argue not, and we’re talking only a fraction slower here, if accuracy is maintained.
The majority would prefer to see highlights-style Test matches with boundary-laden innings and the ball flying everywhere at high speed but that’s wishful thinking most of the time. Those doing the planning, unless they’ve not been paying any attention, know this is a phenomenon that’s the exception rather than the norm.
Pace, in itself, won’t win in the Caribbean or in the Ashes for that matter, so prepare to dig in for the long haul.
Armchair Expert
Guest
McDermott admitted he was out Aljay.
Mike Gooding
Guest
Brian Statham maybe? Perhaps more McGrath than Ambrose. And very patient - "if the batsman misses, I hit" was his mantra. Going back, maybe Spofforth was that line and length type as well rather than scarily fast. Sorry, just rambling here.
Robbo
Guest
Rubbish Alec, give me 150kph, accuracy, move the ball both ways and bounce.....Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, etc. Just because it's hard doesn't mean we shouldn't strive to do it. The problem today is that the game allows/caters for the mediocre bowler and calls them great, Stuart Broad this means you!
Bomb78
Guest
I was at the SCG the night Dean Jones politely asked Mr Ambrose to remove his white sweatbands. Watching it back now Richie Benaud reckons it might be worth 'an extra yard to two' of pace - always good at the understatement was Richie.
Homer Gain
Guest
Dead right. Big Bird was the original. I can't be bothered to look up the stats for comparison but what I recall about him was that even if he wasn't getting you out (and he usually was) he was impossible to score off.
Aljay
Guest
I still maintain that McDermott was NOT OUT. That one still hurts, although I think it hurts AB more. Curtly is still the most dangerous I have ever seen.
Ann
Guest
More like Scott Davidson , he didn't have the bounce and got punished
MikeTV
Guest
Richard Hadlee could make the ball talk, albeit with a kiwi accent.
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
Wasim and Waqar would also be worth copying.
The Bush
Roar Guru
There have been a number of bowlers who hae utlised this approach. Clark for Australia was another recent example of a bloke who just put it in the spot over and over with a bit of bounce and was successful. However all these blokes, including Garner, have something in common - they were bloody tall and therefore able to get awkward bounce of a good length. All batsmen, no matter who you are, hate this. The reason why guys like Anderson and Johnson can't get away with this is they simply aren't tall enough to generate that bounce - both blokes are "only" 6'2. Steyn is another example, I think he's only 6'1. These guy sneeds things like speed and swing to compensate (in Steyn's case he's not compensating for anything, he's just a fabulous bowler).
Con
Guest
Ambrose and McGrath just kept things very simple. They weren't really patient, just that they knew that their arsenal was far too much for opposing batsmen. Mike Atherton would still have nightmares facing these two. Its a pity that more bowlers don't really have that kind of method to their bowling now. If it worked back then, it would work anytime.
Nudge
Guest
Can understand where Alec is coming from but I'd doubt Johnson would have smashed through England's batting on a very placid Adelaide oval,last ashes, if he wasn't sending down 150k fireballs
GD66
Guest
Minz, I must have been sitting pretty close to you, behind the bowler's arm in the Lillee Marsh stand, and couldn't believe what was unfolding. Yes, Ambrose is accurate, pretty damn quick and patient, but he was getting great bounce on the WACA pitch. As well, there was a dirty great crack running longwise down the pitch which the ball kept nipping, making it impossible for the batsmen to determine the direction of the bounce of the ball after it pitched. It was cloudy, overcast and sultry, so there was movement in the air. The Australian shot selection book was thrown out the window and the replacement survival manual was found wanting. And he had a couple of prolonged periods of intimidatory no-ball bowling which if I recall included some 12-or 13-ball overs in amongst the eye-popping 7 for 1. In amongst this amazing demolition (the Windies version of "Mental Degradation"), Curtly wasn't yelling, sledging, or giving the file of batsmen directions to the sheds, just had his head down and was working in the zone. I've never seen anything like it before, and certainly not since. But the description of this period of play, while certainly exhibiting patience, contained so much more. All cricket fans should treat themselves to the scenes from this distant summer morning.
jameswm
Guest
Did someone say Josh Hazlewood?
The5thWaugh
Guest
Mark Taylor must have been chuffed to get 12th man duties for that test.
Rellum
Roar Guru
They both could get it to go off the the seam as well, not many bowlers seem to be able to do that today. McGrath had a handy bit of swing in his arsenal as well.
eric
Guest
Hardly rocket science Alec. If you are tall, with a bit of pace, and send the ball on its seam on or outside off, you'll get results. Trouble is, not many blokes can do it.
Minz
Guest
That test in Perth was my first live test, and we were sitting right behind Ambrose's arm on that day. He was pretty fearsome.
The5thWaugh
Guest
Yeah, I sort of get what Swann is trying to say with respect to mean accuracy, but the bounce and menace of Ambrose put him on another level. When Steve Waugh says a bowler is the last bowler he would want to face that is saying something.
matth
Guest
I'm trying to think of a more appropriate example but I'm struggling. Trent Copeland? I'm sure there are heaps of English examples.