Ashes Extra Tourists pay the price for startling lack of pace

Was England’s bowling turgid, or were Steve Smith and Mitch Marsh simply phenomenal? Come the end of the third day it felt like the answer was somewhere in between.

What it did show, though, was the difference between Australia’s attack and England’s. There were times when the lack of pace in England’s bowling attack was startling, with the majority of Smith’s 29 boundaries coming from dawdling deliveries and inviting balls.

The statistics reinforced that, with all three of Australia’s pace bowlers averaging a quicker speed than any of England’s four. A speed gap of six miles per hour between Craig Overton – the man who emerged with most credit – and Mitchell Starc may not sound like much, but when the ball only has to cover 22 yards it makes the world of difference.

If that were not enough, Australia’s bowlers also extracted more swing – 0.677 degrees compared to England’s 0.474. Joe Root even brought Dawid Malan into the fold late in the afternoon in an attempt to mix things up, and his leg breaks were one of few things that worked. Malan ended with a run economy of 2.17 from six overs, by far the best of the England bowlers, and he also extracted more spin than Moeen Ali – another concern for the tourists.

It all meant that after one of the most chastening days in England’s recent history it had been proven that Australia were able to bowl quicker, swing the ball more and extract more spin.

It’s not quite ‘Can’t bowl, can’t field, can’t bat’ territory, but it is utterly damning.