There is no denying the fact that New Zealand great Shane Bond was not even in the frame when England were looking for a pace bowling coach following the unexpected departure of Ottis Gibson.
And just like several others, Bond also admitted that the offer from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) ‘was completely out of the blue’. But at the same, the former New Zealand pace spearhead, who recently signed a two-year contract extension as Big Bash franchise Brisbane Heat’s bowling coach, is excited to be a part of the iconic series.
“It was completely out of the blue,” Bond said on Wednesday (October 25) of the Bayliss phone call. “I’ve been an Ashes fan for a long time … I’m very aware of the rivalry but to be a Kiwi and then get the invite to be part of the series, I was always going to jump at it. So I’m looking forward to being part of the set-up.”
Bond is well versed with Australian conditions (Credits: Cricket Australia)
Bond was roped in by England on the insistence of Trevor Bayliss, and given the former pacer’s experience in Australia, one can easily understand the England head coach’s decision to have him by his side. Bond made his international debut in Australia and had spent the last two years with Brisbane Heat.
Speaking about what to expect in Down Under, Bond said:
“There’s a whole range of factors: being over here for the last couple of years, I’ve played a bit here, (I’ve got) experience with the Kookaburra ball.”
The Ashes will start from November 23
“Also I’ve got a couple of pretty handy campaigners in the England team who I’m getting the opportunity to work with. So I’ve been in touch with those guys and I’m really looking forward to getting over to Perth (this) weekend and getting stuck into what is a nice lead-in time to the first Test match,” he added.
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In James Anderson and Stuart Broad, England have two of the best bowlers in the world. However, the duo’s track record in Australia is not encouraging. Both the bowlers average over 30 in Australia compared to their career average of less than 30, but Bond is confident the duo will be able to give the Australian batsmen a hard time.
“One hundred per cent, I mean you’ve got a couple of blokes with 900 Test wickets between them, and then some blokes with pace and bounce built in around that,” Bond noted. “So there’s no doubt the team has the talent to win the series. I think it’s going to be a close series, two pretty even teams and from my point of view, I’m just hoping it will come out on the English side – I never thought I’d say that,” he added.
Bond is confident of a good show from Anderson and Broad (Credits: Getty)
“Coming to Australia, you know the seams are going to be flatter, the wickets are flat, the ball doesn’t do much,” he explained. “So you’ve got to find a way to get the ball to move off the straight. Australia are bloody strong in their own conditions, especially their batting line-up, so that’s the stuff we’ve got three-and-a-half weeks to work through before we turn up in Brisbane.
“And if we get that right, with the quality bowlers we’ve got, we’ll give them a pretty good run for their money. We’ll be well prepared, well organised and we’ll know exactly how we want to attack the Australians come that first Test match,” Bond concluded.
