The scary prospect of James Anderson’s impending return, the short-ball problems of Aussie skipper Tim Paine and England captain Joe Root’s poor form are three issues hanging over this Ashes as the third Test starts today.
Tim Paine’s short-ball problem
This is the worst possible time for an Australian to be showing fragility against the short ball.
At Lord’s, express quick Jofra Archer caused more carnage with the bouncer than perhaps any Test bowler since Mitch Johnson five years ago.
And that was on a very slow pitch, while the UK press is now tipping the third Test deck will be faster, perhaps even substantially so.
The fact even Smith, the world’s best Test batsman, couldn’t handle Archer’s short ball barrage in the second Test must have a few of the Aussies very concerned.
Paine should be one of them. The Aussie captain has been bullish in the past few days about how he and his teammates will handle Archer.
Tim Paine. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
He told media he plans to keep playing the hook shot, a stroke which along with the pull has brought about his downfall twice in four innings in this Ashes.
That includes a brain fade of a stroke in the first innings of the first Test when he lobbed the ball straight to deep square leg at a time when Australia were under immense pressure.
Paine was a revelation in his first nine months back in the Australian side after making a shock comeback for the 2017-18 Ashes.
Since then, however, he’s averaged just 20 with the bat from nine Tests. With Archer sure to target him with searing short balls for the rest of this series, getting back into form won’t be easy for Paine.
The spectre of James Anderson
Steve Smith’s expected return for the fourth Test is already greatly anticipated. The focus on Smith has, to an extent, drawn attention away from the likely comeback in that same match of England’s best bowler, James Anderson.
While Jofra Archer is currently casting a long shadow over the Australian batting line-up, it is Anderson who has the potential to inflict even greater damage.
In his past 21 Tests in the UK, Anderson has hoarded 107 wickets at 15. So remarkable has been his control over the swing of the Dukes ball that he’s often verged on unplayable during that period.
Pairing the fear factor of Archer with Anderson’s befuddling lateral movement would pose a monumental challenge to the Aussie batsmen, including Smith.
Anderson yesterday made his comeback from a calf strain in county second XI cricket. He now has 13 days to prepare for the fourth Test at his home ground, Old Trafford, where he has taken 154 wickets at 23 in first-class cricket.
Jimmy Anderson (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Anderson’s return will present a tricky scenario to the English selectors – do they go with four specialist quicks at Old Trafford and dump spinner Jack Leach, or do they drop one of Stuart Broad or Chris Woakes to make way for Anderson?
Woakes has an incredible home Test record and England love the depth he provides to their batting. Broad, meanwhile, is terrorising David Warner and they will want to keep that spell cast over the dangerous Aussie opener as long as possible.
Can Australia keep Joe Root mired in his form trough?
Australia and England both have one common problem – a lack of captaincy options. With Smith and Warner banned from leadership positions, Tim Paine is the only realistic option as skipper right now, particularly given Australia don’t like to give that role to bowlers.
For England, Root’s form has crumbled since he took on the captaincy. Their leadership alternatives are limited considering his vice-captain Ben Stokes is trying to rebuild his image after being caught on video not just in an alcohol-fuelled brawl but also mocking a disabled boy in separate footage.
Stokes acts like a leader on the field, no doubt, but England would likely want more distance from those shocking incidents before making him a Test captain.
For the foreseeable future, the weight rests on Root. Clearly this responsibility has disturbed his batting. In his last 26 Test innings he has averaged just 29. That is a long and deep form trough.
Where once Root was lethal when quicks got too straight, picking them off down the ground and through the leg side, now he has become vulnerable to deliveries aimed at his stumps.
Pat Cummins, in particular, is troubling Root with his ability to get the ball to seam back in at his front pad. With their batting line-up a mess, England desperately need their best batsmen to haul himself up out of this hole.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
If I was an England selectors I would have no issue making Stokes the captain. At least he doesn’t claim grassed catches. Paine needs to put the pull shot away until he’s well set. Steve Waugh did it in 92 in test cricket and it paid dividends. Both were/are very good pullers of the ball and I think it was a mistake of Waugh to shelve it completely against the red ball. Paine has shown he has the mental ability to grind. We saw it against India in very difficult conditions. Paine needs to tell himself he’s not playing the pull shot until he reaches 50.
birdhead
Roar Rookie
Agreed jamesh. Watch the Smith bouncer that floored him. He cld have put his bat in the way very easily but chose to wear it. Not sure I wld have done that and don't want reckless abandonment but I want the captain to find a better way to deal with a short ball at the beginning of his innings than throw the bat at it and hope for the best. Esp when he is batting to save a test
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
Dan in Devon said: "Australia need to play Starc if only because he is so good at mopping up the tail." Please supply some evidence to support that. Hint: If Starc is "so good at mopping up the tail" then having a career average of 28 must mean that he's pretty ordinary against everyone else.
just another Paul
Roar Rookie
Can't bat can't catch.
Massive Ferguson
Guest
High action and bends his back. Close to technical perfection. Disclaimer: I'm a mug!
Rellum
Roar Guru
I don't think he has a problem with the short ball. Like you say his shot selection when it comes to the pull shot has not been great. But as a coach telling him to drop the pull shot might cause even more issues if that is how he is comfortable is dealing with the short stuff. At least he mostly gets inside the line of the ball. The other solution is practising keeping the ball down.
Dan in Devon
Guest
Australia need to play Starc if only because he is so good at mopping up the tail. His left hand Yorker is a point of difference that would add the variety that was missing at Lord's.
U
Roar Rookie
At this stage of his career that’s unlikely to happen
AREH
Roar Guru
Tend to agree; is a weakness as such, or does he just go after those too often and is caught?
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Looking forward to old Joffa having a crack at Paine when the Aussie are 5/400.
JamesH
Roar Guru
To a point, yes. It's not so much that he has a problem with the short ball because he seems to be picking it up well enough. It's the decision-making about when and what to pull/hook that's been an issue for him. Not just in this series, either. I don't think he should forego the shot entirely because he's good at playing it. He just needs to put it away during periods where the situation makes the shot too risky.
Rob JM
Roar Rookie
Just play all three bowlers with sub 50 strike rates. Cummins, Starc and Pattinson! England are hardly a strong batting side, so they are more likely to get out than score runs of starc loose deliveries.
Lancey5times
Roar Rookie
I imagine England simply drop Woakes for Anderson. Root doesn't bowl him anyway
redbackfan
Roar Rookie
paine is there for the series but head surely a realistic option as captain. doesnt mean he is there forever but it used to be the australian way of picking the best 11 then a captain. years of experience(if not success..) at redbacks for head. he looks in the best 11 for a while yet
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
LOL - won't happen of course, but hard to argue with your logic at the moment!
Jeffrey Dun
Roar Rookie
"At Lord’s, express quick Jofra Archer caused more carnage with the bouncer than perhaps any Test bowler since Mitch Johnson five years ago. And that was on a very slow pitch, while the UK press is now tipping the third Test deck will be faster, perhaps even substantially so." I got the impression that it was the two paced nature of the pitch at Lords that made the bouncer more difficult to manage. Even if Headingley is quicker, if the bounce is true, then the bouncer may be easier to negotiate. I worry that Australia is talking up Warner as the potential match winner. He has never been a match winner outside Australia/SA, and certainly not in England where he averages only 30. If we are relying on runs from Warner I think we are in trouble.
Massive Ferguson
Guest
Drop Warner for Pattinson or Starc. The extra bowler would be handy and you'll never miss Warner's meagre contribution as the chances are a bowler would outscored him.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Paine just needs to put the Pulls shot away.
Sailosi
Guest
Really? That's like saying Andrew Caddick might exploit Glenn McGraths weakness on off stump. I'm not sure Paine is really relevant.
Paul
Roar Guru
I wonder what instructions Davey has been given against Archer? In the World Cup, there were a few games where Archer's returns were down right ordinary and that's because guys got after him. Interestingly, when that happened, England lost all three of those games, Obviously there a huge difference between ODI's and Tests, but if the Aussie batsmen can show some positive intent against him, I wonder whether he mightn't leak a few runs? Anderson comes back, Smith comes back, it could be a very exciting last couple of Tests.