England could stick with an all-seam attack against SA, reckons Chris Silverwood
England head coach Chris Silverwood has hinted that his team may pick an all-seam attack for the first Test against South Africa. England had played four-seamers and an all-rounder in the form of Ben Stokes against New Zealand in the second Test and despite the illness of off-spinner Jack Leach, Silverwood said that they might pick an all-pace attack anyway.
"Obviously in Hamilton, we looked at all the stats, who took wickets at the ground, and it showed that spin didn't really play much part in the games, or certainly have much effect on the games," Silverwood said ahead of the Boxing Day Test.
"We look at the stats for this ground, it's the same thing, you're looking at wickets taken by seam, wickets taken by spin and the averages that go along with them, it suggests that seam is the way forward, and the thing that has most effect on the game here, so we're certainly looking at that," he further mentioned.
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While England have a backup in the spin department in the form of uncapped leggie Matt Parkinson and off-spinner Dom Bess, Silverwood feels that after reading the pitch, an all-seam attack appears to be the best option.
"We've got the resources but we're looking at it for what it is, what has most effect in this game. We're not definitely going down the road of all seam, but it's something we've got to discuss over the next few days," he asserted.
"It's not rocket science, every team has these stats. You look at what's effective on that ground and then you look at what you've got in your arsenal and try to put out the best side you can," Silverwood signed off.