Smith’s bouncer barrage defence
STEVE Smith has dismissed a plea for umpires to protect England’s tailenders from an ongoing bouncer barrage, saying Australia’s Ashes rivals would do exactly the same — if they had faster bowlers.
Former England captain Mike Atherton argued in UK newspaper The Times that officials should better enforce rules about intimidatory fast bowling in the showpiece Test series.
Umpires can warn a Test paceman twice before ordering him out of the attack, should they be alarmed by deliberate short-pitched deliveries that are intended to - or likely to — inflict physical injury given the skill of the batsman.
Australia has made no secret of its plan to pepper the tourists’ tail with short stuff throughout this summer.
The ploy has been successful. The hosts hold an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series, with England’s tailenders having looking uncomfortable while hardly troubling the scorers.
“It’s a bit over the top,” Smith said, when asked about Atherton’s column.
“No doubt, if they had the kind of pace that our bowlers can generate, they’d probably do the same thing. We were (always) going to bowl a lot of short stuff to those guys, much like we did back in 2013.”
Jimmy Anderson, England’s No.11 batsman, asked umpires at the Gabba whether Australia had breached the rarely enforced law during the opening Test. England management also raised the issue four years ago, when Mitchell Johnson terrorised their team with chin music throughout a whitewash. Johnson shared Smith’s dim view of Atherton’s argument, calling on England’s tail to “learn how to bat”.
“I’d be very disappointed if it got changed. Because wickets are flat in general and the bowlers need some sort of assistance,” Johnson said. “How far do you go? If they take everything away from the bowlers, we’re just going to see bowling machines.”
England’s problem is that none of their bowlers is capable of regularly hitting the 145km/h mark, let alone breaking the 150km/h barrier.
It is why express paceman Mark Wood, who is still building fitness after an injurymarred year, has remained with the Test squad after touring Australia with England A.
Wood could potentially be called up for dead rubbers at the MCG and SCG, while Mason Crane is also in the mix.
Smith, a promising tennis junior, was taken out of his comfort zone while having a hit on Thursday with Canada’s Milos Raonic at Melbourne Park. Smith returned a couple of serves from Raonic but weaved out of the way when one was directed at his body.
“Now I know how Jimmy Anderson feels,” Smith said.