"I just wonder if this particular tactic plays into Australia's hands" - Jason Gillespie on England demanding flat tracks for Ashes
Former Australian speedster Jason Gillespie believes that England's demand for flat pitches in the 2023 Ashes series will backfire. The South Australian reckons the tourists have a better chance of thriving on benign surfaces.
A few weeks ago, England captain Ben Stokes requested the curators to prepare flat tracks to enable their run-scoring. According to various reports, England are also considering making the boundary shorter to maximize the impact of their newly-found aggressive approach.
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In his column for the Daily Mail, Gillespie stated that England's strength lies in their own conditions and playing with the Dukes ball.
"What we're hearing is that England want grass shaved off pitches to promote aggressive batting, but I just wonder if this particular tactic plays into Australia's hands a bit more. Australian bowlers are probably better suited to bowling on those types of surfaces than the English bowlers, whose strength lies in their own conditions, playing with the Dukes ball."
The 48-year-old observed that the trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc alongside Cameron Green have the skills to make things happen unlike their counterparts.
"If you negate the off-the-surface movement with benign pitches, Australia have the air speed and height in Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green to take full advantage and are clearly better stocked than England, who have only two tall bowlers in Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson."
The Englishmen haven't lost a Test series since Stokes and Brendon McCullum took over as captain and coach, respectively. England have also lost only two of their last 12 Tests.
"It's disappointing for the game of cricket" - Jason Gillespie on Jofra Archer's injury struggles
Gillespie sympathized with Jofra Archer, who has been ruled out of the entire summer after his elbow injury resurfaced. He feels that the Australians aren't going to be complaining much regarding Archer's absence.
"If Jofra Archer was fit, he would have potentially altered things, and it's really disappointing to see a lad who's desperate to perform not able to play. It's disappointing for the game of cricket too because in huge series you want players with genuine pace creating great theatre, as Jofra did in the 2019 Ashes - although, I don't think the Australians are complaining too much that he's not there."
England will be keen to reclaim the urn, having not held it since 2015.