England have brought the quickest touring attack they can remember, yet Steven Smith isn’t convinced pure pace will be the puzzle Australia struggle to solve this summer. Speaking in Perth, the stand-in captain suggested that bowlers who “nibble” – seam at medium-fast pace and make the ball deviate just enough – might have been the more awkward proposition on today’s greener Australian pitches.
Key points first. England’s squad is loaded with velocity: Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse are all capable of 145kph plus, while Ben Stokes can still crank it up when his body allows. By contrast, the stalwarts of many previous tours, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, have retired, and Chris Woakes has stepped away after a shoulder dislocation. Australia, meanwhile, are likely to field their proven trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, with Smith filling the leadership void created by Cummins’ ankle niggle.
So why Smith’s scepticism? “Those sort of nibblers can be quite tricky,” he said. “So they might have got things the wrong way around, if that makes sense, in terms of the pace from previous years.” The line was delivered with a half-smile but the undertone was serious: when the ball sits up and the surface has a tinge of green, a bowler who can seam it both ways at 130-135kph often forces more mistakes than a 150kph thunderbolt.
Smith even joked the decks were so lush lately they “have branches hanging off them”. Asked whether all-out speed is actually easier to face in such conditions, he was blunt. “If you can do both, that’s a good skill,” he said. “But sometimes the slower guys are almost harder to play on those wickets where you have to make the pace.”
Mitchell Starc had already issued a similar warning, pointing out that the sheer physical toll of hammering in chest-on throughout an Australian summer can wear down any attack, let alone one short on local experience. Starc’s view is that maintaining control for long spells on firm pitches is just as important as frightening batters.
Adam Collins, co-host of The Final Word podcast, widened the context. “England will need to win the first Test in Perth to stand a chance of reclaiming the Ashes,” he said, suggesting momentum remains the most precious commodity in these five-match marathons. Perth’s bounce and breeze traditionally favour quicks, yet recent Shield games have shown genuine movement with the new ball before flattening out – exactly the scenario where a skilful seamer can cash in early.
Smith’s own form hardly dents Australian confidence. After a six-week switch-off in New York, he returned to the Sheffield Shield and posted 118, 57 and an unbeaten 56 in his first three innings. “I felt awful my first 20 runs,” he admitted. “Lost my hands for a little bit there and then found them back after that, so that was good.” He put the disconnect down to “changing bats, trying to figure out which one I like”, and laughed that he may finally have settled on a favourite.
England’s brains trust insist their approach is no one-dimensional. Wood and Archer provide the intimidation, Atkinson and Tongue can shape the ball, while Stokes rates Carse’s heavy length. They also argue that Australia have not faced sustained extreme pace on home soil for a while, raising the possibility of rushed strokes and airborne catches in the cordon.
Whether that optimism survives a full summer is another matter. Perth opens on a Wednesday under lights, and the Gabba – scene of bruising defeats for visiting sides – follows swiftly. Should England emerge from that fortnight level or ahead, their gamble will look shrewd. If not, they may rue leaving a steadier, hooping option at home.
For now, Smith’s verdict hangs in the air: genuine quicks thrill the crowd, yet it is often the stump-to-stump merchants, kissing the seam and “nibbling” it both ways, who dictate Ashes series. As ever, we will only know which theory is right once the coin goes up and the white Kookaburra is in a bowler’s hand.
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