Ashes 2017-18: Ryan Harris Reveals Australia Pace Bowling Trio is Stronger Than 2013-14 Season
Nov 7, 2017 at 2:47 PM
Former Australia fast bowler Ryan Harris termed the current pace trio as more efficient than what Australia possessed for the 2013-14 Ashes season when hosts whitewashed England 5-0 under the dynamic leadership of Michael Clarke, to lift the coveted Urn.
“You’ve got [Mitchell] Starc who can definitely do a Johnson role, and you’ve got Cummins so you’ve probably got an extra bit of pace. [Pat] Cummins on his day he’s fast as well,” Harris told Cricket Australia.
The 38-year-old right-arm paceman Harris, who announced his international retirement before Ashes with immediate effect when he picked knee injury in 2015 which haunted him during his international career from time-to-time.
(Read The Ashes Preview: England’s tour of Australia: The Ashes 2017-18 Series Preview)
The Sydney-based Harris believes this time around hosts side has had availed the services of better bowling arsenal to contain England.
“That’s what we did well last time and obviously got the results,” Harris asserted.
With 16 days left until first, Ashes series will be kicking off with the Test fixture in Brisbane on November 23.
Pertinently, Harris was the important figure in Ashes squad for Australia four years ago when speedster Mitchell Johnson claimed 37 wickets in the five-match series to humiliate the Three Lions.
“Obviously we did a good job last time, but the key is going to be working as a team, as a bowling unit,” Harris maintained.
After injury-stricken James Pattinson was ruled out of due to a back stress fracture from the impending Ashes series, Australia will solely rely on pace spearhead Mitchell Starc following by prominent Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.
“Hazlewood’s probably doing the job that I did (four years ago) and he’s quicker than me, and he gets more bounce,” Harris added.
Harris reiterated it would be gripping to see the pace portent delivering goods on home soil against newly-appointed Joe Root-led side and is further hopeful that his national side would replicate what they did in 68th edition of the traditional Ashes competition.
Concurrently, Harris, who is working as Cricket Australia XI’s coach also received inputs from the domestic players, who are participating in the ongoing JLT Sheffield Shield tournament.
“The ball will probably swing early around start time, it may stop swinging in that sort of 30-45 overs and then when it gets to dusk the grass seems to stand up and it zips around,” Harris said while considering Adelaide pitch where second Ashes Test is scheduled on December 2.
The crucial figure Harris is now working as a High-Performance Coach for Cricket Australia and has been assigned a job – to look after the youngsters in the domestic leg.
On the other side, Harris would also observe the activities of the promising youngster, who will take on England in a four-day fixture at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday (November 8).
Harris remarked Australians are the firm favorite for the Ashes series while adding bowlers from both the teams have a significant role to play in.
“We’re not here to make it easy for England, we want to make sure it’s a tough prep going into a big series,” Harris concluded.
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In the 2013-14 season, Harris bagged 22 wickets at an average of 19.31 when Peter Siddle was bowling alongside Johnson, who was the protagonist during the gruelling series.