England's bowling attack is slowly coming together, writes Yas Rana.
In their heavy defeat at Edgbaston, England’s attack felt dysfunctional.
Early on in the evening session on day one, Ben Stokes’ bold decision to once more bowl first was on the path to vindication. The visitors were 211-5 and Chris Woakes was finding life with the old ball. Nick off a couple more in the final session and England would have been firmly ahead. Instead, Ravindra Jadeja and Shubman Gill knuckled down against a tiring attack to reach stumps on 310-5.
England were still in a reasonable position at the start of the following morning. Armed with a new ball, Stokes opened the bowling alongside Woakes. It made sense, even though it is an unfamiliar role for the England captain. Brydon Carse, who opened the bowling on day one, is more of a hit-the-deck style seamer. Opening up is not a job that he often fulfils.
India safely negotiated the opening burst from Woakes and Stokes and were 348-5; ahead, but certainly not out of sight. That, though, was the last we saw of the two England all-rounders in the India first innings. From that point onwards, the wheels fell off.
India amassed 239 runs from the 58 overs that followed. Shoaib Bashir bowled 26 of a possible 29 overs from one end and around him for the best part of two sessions were two seamers in Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue who are still finding their way as Test cricketers, and the part-time options of Joe Root and Harry Brook.
Bashir has been the subject of reasonable criticism this year. It is not unfair to question his current value as a No. 11 who is not yet a container or a persistent wicket-taking threat but he has been dealt with a brutal hand this series, often bowling an enormous volume of overs in the first five sessions of a Test.
Compare his output to his Indian counterparts. Across the first innings this series, Bashir averaged 65 at an economy rate of 3.75 runs per over. Jadeja, by comparison, has taken two wickets for 167 runs; Washington Sundar is currently wicketless in the first innings.
The more pertinent question around Bashir wasn’t, ‘Is he bowling well enough?’ It was, ‘Why is he bowling so many first innings overs?’ Due to a combination of the form, role suitability and fitness of the seamers around him, the youngster was being asked to perform a brutally difficult job.
Fast forward to Manchester and England’s attack is starting to make more sense. Jofra Archer’s return is transformative. He is lethal against left-handers – averaging 21.66 across his Test career – but even against right-handers, whom he averages in the mid-30s against, he is parsimonious, going at less than three runs per over. For the first time since the Broaderson era, the attack has a genuine spearhead. His emerging habit of uprooting Rishabh Pant’s off peg is a useful one to have in the locker.
Woakes has bowled better than his raw numbers this series – his eight wickets have come at an average of 57.62 – suggest; he was unlucky in his opening spells at both Edgbaston and Headingley could easily have been far more fruitful. With more support around him in the attack, his role as somewhat of a new-ball specialist makes sense; there are fewer overs that need covering elsewhere.
Carse has had a hit-and-miss series and has not been at his best at Old Trafford. But again, his position in an attack with more physical and technical dependability around him allows him to be more of a point-of-difference seamer. Carse and Tongue are both exciting and raw quicks who have a role to play for England. At this point of their Test careers, however, England are a more well-rounded attack with just one of them in the team, rather than both.
Stokes’ bowling, meanwhile, has been a revelation this summer. It is possible that he has never before bowled with such sustained threat. The numbers certainly bear that out; he has never before bowled more overs or taken more wickets in a Test series. He has always been a Swiss Army knife Test bowler, one capable of fulfilling different roles. As a first change option, he adds a gnarly relentlessness to an improving attack.
Part of that improvement in Manchester came through the addition of Liam Dawson. Dawson is a steady operator who went at three runs per over on the opening day. He is not without threat either, as his timely wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was done in the flight, seven balls into his spell showed.
Over the first two days England have comprehensively out-bowled India. Even when time has passed without creating many wicket-taking chances, England were generally able to keep a lid on India’s run-scoring. On the first day at Edgbaston, India scored 310 – at Old Trafford, India reached stumps on 264. Today, India added 94 runs from 31.1 overs. England meanwhile, raced along to 225-2 from 46 overs at stumps.
A dominant second day makes England firm favourites to seal the series with a game to spare. For the second Test in a row – after they successfully defended 192 at Lord’s – an improving, better rounded bowling attack has been central to that success.
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