Andrew Hughes looks at the upcoming clash between two of the deadliest swing bowlers in the modern game

England is a swing bowlers delight. First there is the humidity of early summer to assist conventional swing. Then as the season draws on, English pitches become rough and dry through overuse, enabling skilled exponents of reverse swing to make the ball do tricks. And swing bowling remains one of the most compelling skills in the sport of cricket not least because there is not yet complete agreement on exactly how it works. It is an art more mysterious even than spin.

Amongst the many treats in store for us in this Ashes summer is the prospect of watching two of the best swing bowlers in the world: Mitchell Johnson and James Anderson. Both men have mastered the art of swing in all its variety and both are absolutely pivotal to their nations hopes of Ashes victory.

Though of similar ages, Anderson is the more experienced of the two. To say he has had a long apprenticeship might be considered an understatement. The England selectors were first attracted by his ability to produce that deadly late away swing that induces batsmen to play when they should not and to lose all awareness of the location of their off stump. But he was plucked out of county cricket too soon, before he'd learned fully to appreciate and understand the skill that came so naturally. His waywardness was a gift to international batsmen and if conditions were not conducive to conventional swing, then he had little else to offer.

Yet six years on from his debut, he has finally become England's premier new ball bowler. The transformation has been slow but profound. A long run in the team has given him confidence and long hours in the nets and at the gym have turned a skinny one dimensional bowler into a far more substantial cricketer. He still has that deadly late away swing in his locker but it's now delivered at ninety miles an hour. He has added the in swinger and the rudiments of reverse swing, variations which, together with a more resilient attitude, enable him to patiently probe a batsman's technique, rather than waiting for him to nick one. His encounters with Fidel Edwards this summer have also revealed an aggressive streak to his character.

But whilst Anderson's aggression has thus far tended to be of the verbal variety, his swing rival Mitchell Johnson poses more of a physical threat. In the pivotal Durban Test this spring, he fractured Graeme Smith's hand and split Jacques Kallis's chin as he terrorized the South African batsmen, employing his new tactic of bowling with a lower arm and digging the ball in shorter. It is a dangerous addition to his armoury and one that the England batsmen will have to be on the look out for this summer.

However, Johnson's main threat will be with the swinging ball. Like Anderson, he has the natural ability to swing the ball away from the right hander and was also noted as a promising youngster, Dennis Lillee labelling him, 'a once in a lifetime bowler'. But he had to wait a while to take his chance at international level. When his Test cap finally came at the 2007, he performed fitfully, deadly spells interspersed with wayward ones and, like Anderson, he was criticised for being one-dimensional.

Perhaps all this just demonstrates that swing bowlers, like the spinners of old, need time to mature and learn their craft. With the retirement of Glen McGrath and injuries to Stuart Clark and Brett Lee, Johnson was forced to take a more senior role. He worked hard to develop an in swinger and to master the mysteries of reverse swing. Given the responsibility of leading the attack on the tour to South Africa, he came of age with a performance of impressive hostility and skill. He will need to reprise that role this summer, because Lee and Clark are still some way from their best and Peter Siddle is a raw newcomer. The extent of his importance to Australia is demonstrated in his price of [2.62] to finish as top Aussie bowler.

Post a comment

Name:

Email Address:

URL:

Remember personal info?

Comment: