Bleak future beckons for England’s weak tweakers
MUMBAI, (Reuters) England’s humiliating series defeat in India painfully exposed an alarming paucity in the side’s slow bowling options and drove home the fact they will continue to struggle in South Asia until they unearth some world class spinners.
Retired off-spinner Graeme Swann had bemoaned England’s indifferent approach towards slow bowling before the fivematch series started and his fears were confirmed after the touring side were handed a 4-0 drubbing.
The alarm bells would have been ringing when England’s spinners were out-bowled in Bangladesh in October, where the side lost their first ever test against the hosts in a series regarded by many as an appetiser for the Indian leg of the trip.
That 1-1 drawn series did little to prepare England’s batsmen for the main course as India’s spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin, the world’s top-ranked test bowler, and Ravindra Jadeja helped themselves to 54 wickets.
By comparison, England’s main spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali combined for 33 wickets, and the other four slow bowlers used on the tour — Zafar Ansari, Liam Dawson, Gareth Batty and part-timer Joe Root — only claimed seven more between them.
“I think everyone can see we are suited to playing in seaming conditions,” Cook said. “There’s no point hiding behind that fact.
“These conditions have tested us to our limits and I really don’t want to be disrespectful to Mo and Adil but they are not as good as Ashwin and Jadeja yet.
“They haven’t quite got the control and consistency, certainly in the first innings when there’s