Hazlewood’s control means batsmen can never relax
WE have heard so much about the pace of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, but the Australia bowler I expect to cause England the most problems is Josh Hazlewood.
People keep banging on about Australia’s ability to bowl quickly. Yes, it makes their attack dangerous, but pace isn’t worth much if it is delivered without skill or control.
Hazlewood is nowhere near as quick as Starc or Cummins but I always found him the most difficult of the three to face. He is a bit like Glenn McGrath: always hitting the top of off stump, always challenging your technique.
The most likely to bowl the magic ball is Starc. He finds a very full length, so he gets a lot of wickets bowled and leg before, especially against the tail.
His action makes him quite tough to pick up, and there are not that many red-ball bowlers around the world who regularly produce inswinging yorkers.
I faced a fair bit of Cummins in one-day cricket, where he is dangerous with the old ball. In Tests, he hits the deck hard and shapes it quite nicely, allowing him to perform well in swinging conditions.
I found Nathan Lyon’s comments this week a bit surprising, because everyone I have spoken to says he is a really good lad. Yet beyond those remarks, England have to be very careful against the off-spinner. He is a massively underrated bowler who has had a lot of unfair stick over the years.
Lyon has good overspin which means he generates bounce, a vital asset when pitches aren’t turning, and that is why he has quite a few batsmen caught at short-leg or leg slip. He gets the ball to drop suddenly, meaning it’s hard to pick up length against him as he tries to deceive you in the flight.
So be positive, by all means, but show him respect too.