(Photo: Getty Images)
By Richard Edwards
Simon Jones is backing England’s old guard to outshine Australia’s young pretenders in the Ashes.
Much of the talk in the build-up to the series has centred on the strength in depth of the Aussie attack, even without the injured James Pattinson.
Mitch Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins will form a formidable pace trio on pitches that should be tailor-made for them.
Jones, though, believes that the experience and nous of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad shouldn’t be under-played, with the pair travelling Down Under with 894 Test wickets already safely in the bank.
“The Aussies will hit us hard, they’ve got some fantastic quick bowlers there at the moment,” he says. “But they’re missing Pattinson, who is a big loss for them.
“My only worry is that this England side is perhaps a little bit one-paced but both Jimmy and Stuart are seasoned campaigners. Jimmy is still bowling ridiculously well and they’ve adapted their games to bowling in any conditions.
“I’m sure they’ll go well out there, it’s just a case of the other boys follow it up, really. The key to bowling the Aussies out twice will be how the other lads stand up and have a go.
“It’s easy to overlook Australia’s own problems because if you hit the top order hard and get the big boys out then the rest will panic. It was the same when I played, if I saw Tressy (Marcus Trescothick), (Andrew) Strauss or (Michael) Vaughan fall early then I would start to think, ‘what’s going on?’.
“It will be exactly the same if Jimmy or Stuart can get rid of (David) Warner and (Steve) Smith.”
Both have improved dramatically since England first crossed swords with them, firmly establishing themselves as two of world cricket’s most reliable and exciting performers.
The same could be said of Anderson and Broad, who have been a fixture in this England side for the best part of a decade.
Anderson actually made his England bow in a winter that saw Jones suffer a horrific knee injury at the Gabba in the opening Test of a series that England lost 4-1. The Lancastrian flew out to play for England’s one-day side against the Aussies in December 2002 at the MCG.
Back then, he was seen primarily as a pace bowler, with his artistry as a swing bowler coming to the fore long after his initial foray into international cricket.
Now he’s the elder statesman, responsible for guiding the likes of Craig Overton through a first Ashes trip. Overton may well have a key role to play but Jones himself would have loved to have seen England take a punt on Mark Wood’s fitness, believing that the Durham quick offers something different to this England attack.
“It’s the only thing that concerns me about the squad we’ve picked – the lack of someone capable of bowling 90-plus miles an hour,” he says. “You need gas against these boys, someone who’s going to break partnerships and Woody would have done that.”
Having named Wood in the Lions’ squad, he might still have a role to play in this Ashes series. Anderson and Broad, meanwhile, will hope their final hurrah Down Under leaves the Aussies ruing their presence one last time.
