How England are building an attack to trouble Australia
Any praise for England's pace attack this summer comes with the caveat of the quality of Pakistan's batting - and the fact they are operating in helpful home conditions. But, after having their hand…
Any praise for England's pace attack this summer comes with the caveat of the quality of Pakistan's batting - and the fact they are operating in helpful home conditions.
But, after having their hand forced by the retirement of Ben Stokes, England have stumbled on something encouraging.
A four-man pace attack of Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson, who dismissed Pakistan for 110 on day two of the second Test at Lord's , appears potent and, perhaps crucially for the future, are complementing each other in different ways...
After the first-Test win at Headingley, captain Joe Root said his pace bowlers "do not know how good they can be" and praised the variety they offer.
Root suggested this group is ahead of bowling stocks from his previous stint as captain, when he often called upon right-arm seamers James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes, in terms of their variation.
The most obvious differential between his new quartet is pace - something brought into further focus by England's decision to prioritise bowlers who reach high speeds during last winter's Ashes defeat.
While Archer was touching 95mph in the quickest opening spell of his career on day two at Lord's, Robinson was operating around 78mph at the other end.
Tongue's average pace across the series is actually higher than Archer, though Archer has bowled a higher percentage of his deliveries over 90mph.
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