Analysis of Australia’s fast bowling strength - Opinion – Part One
Over the years, Australia have produced a number of great fast bowlers like Dennis Lillee, Geff Thompson, Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes and Glenn McGrath, who have played a huge role in their country’s success at the highest stage of the game over the decades.
Since mid-1990s to 2007, the Baggy Greens remained the undisputed champions of the sport in Test cricket as well as in the 50-over format, with fast bowlers like McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Andy Bichel and Michael Kasprowicz helping their side rule
the world.
Since the retirement of McGrath and Gillespie, the likes of Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark and Nathan Bracken were expected to take the Kangaroos’ fast bowling legacy forward. However, due to multiple reasons, form and fitness being the primary ones,
this generation failed to live up to the expectations.
As a result, Australia’s performance dipped in international cricket and they could not maintain their supremacy over most other teams.
The situation however, seems to be moving in the right direction once again with the emergence of a younger lot of speedsters, who have done exceptionally well in Sheffield Shield cricket over the last couple of seasons. The likes of Mitchell Starc, James
Pattinson and Pat Cummins have brought a new ray of hope for the Aussie fans. The trio has had fitness issues but they have done brilliantly in the limited number of opportunities they have had at the game’s ultimate stage.
The youngsters have got able support in shape of experienced cricketers like Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus in the bowling department, who have vast experience of different formats of the sport.
All of them have been doing a marvellous job since the last 18 months but Australia’s series against South Africa is going to be a huge test of character for these pacers, as they will be up against some world-class batsmen like Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla,
Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers.
Australia’s former captain and top-order batsman, Ricky Ponting, has immense faith on the young bowlers’ skills and believes that they will be able to deliver the goods against the Proteas as well.
The Tasmanian thinks that the home team’s bowlers will have an edge as they understand the Australian pitches better than their South African counterparts. The stylish right-hander feels that Pattinson and Siddle are going to play an important role in the
series because of the kind of form they have shown in the current domestic season.
“The attack that we put out last year will be very similar to what we go out with tomorrow in our conditions and conditions that we know very well,” he said. “All the guys, Siddle and Pattinson especially, have got a lot of first-class cricket under their
belt and have taken a lot of wickets at the start of the summer.”
Ponting takes heart from his side’s whitewash over India last year, where the fast bowlers were at the top of their game. The former captain thinks that if Australia’s rookies bowl with the same kind of an aggression, there is no reason why they cannot take
20 wickets in a match against the Proteas as well.
“The way we played last year was somewhere near our best and if we produce that again, it doesn't matter what batting line-up we're bowling to, we'll take 20 wickets in a Test match,” the legendary batsman added.
To be continued...
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