With every passing day, the Ashes is getting nearer and the buzz surrounding the most loved cricketing rivalry of all time gets even more intense. For England, who are currently taking on the West Indies at home will have a few questions to answer before they take that flight for Australia. As many as three positions in their top five are uncertain, and despite having multiple candidates battling it out, there is still no clarity.
To compound the woes for England, Australia could well opt for a menacing four man pace battery. Such a move will pretty much define the mindset of the Kangaroos, as skipper Steven Smith has been in favour of having such a tactic. The likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and James Pattinson are complete match winners on their own. To imagine that they will team up together in conditions assisting them, things look just too bleak for England.
During Australia’s ongoing tour of Bangladesh, skipper Steven Smith resounded his thoughts on having four pacers for the upcoming home Ashes, later this year.
“I guess it’s nice that all the fast bowlers – probably take Josh out of it – Starc, Cummins and Pattinson all bat pretty well,” Smith said. “So I won’t say that we’ll do it but there’s a possibility that it could certainly, happen, that you could play all four and Nathan Lyon.”
It means that pacer Mitchell Starc will be batting at number seven, a position above his usual number eight slot.
“That probably leaves the batting a little bit light, but those guys do hold the bat pretty well. “So it’s something to certainly think about. “Hopefully someone nails down the No.6 spot and we don’t have to worry about that.”
Backing batsman Glenn Maxwell to feature in the Ashes, Smith said,
“I thought he played pretty well in India obviously to get a hundred.” “I think he got a 40 or 50 in the last Test match as well, he played a lot better than a lot of other guys in that last Test match.”He certainly has the opportunity to nail down that spot, that’s for sure.”