"Role player for England" - Jason Gillespie reacts to Graeme Swann's 2023 Ashes comment on Jack Leach
Former Australian speedster Jason Gillespie believes Graeme Swann's statement of Jack Leach being decisive to England's 2023 Ashes series win is far-fetched. The South Australian argued that Leach is more of a role-player for England.
Leach missed the entire Ashes series on home soil due to back injury as the selectors replaced him with Moeen Ali. In a recent interview with The Daily Mail, Swann claimed that the Somerset spinner's presence would have ensured a series win for the hosts, which eventually resulted in 2-2 and Australia retaining the urn.
In his column for The Daily Mail, Gillespie singled out Leach as a like-for-like bowler for the retired Ashley Giles.
"Leach is a fine spinner, but he’s a role player for England, much in the mould of Ashley Giles in the 2005 Ashes. Giles was unheralded, averaging two wickets a Test in that memorable series, but his complementing of the four quicks shouldn’t be underestimated," he wrote.
Nevertheless, the retired paceman believes Leach must play a leading role in India, given the remaining three spinners are rookie ones.
"Leach does a similar job for England now, particularly in the UK — although he’s going to have to be quite a bit more prominent in India, with Rehan Ahmed, a leg-spinner with a lot of potential but just one cap, and two new picks in Tom Hartley, of Lancashire, and Somerset’s Shoaib Bashir behind him," he continued.
The 48-year-old underlined the need for the seamers to support Leach, elaborating:
"There is a lot of expectation on him heading into the first Test on Thursday, that's for sure. Being lead spinner changes the onus on you as a bowler. And by the way, Indians are pretty decent players of spin. So what England must do is make sure their pace attack complements Leach’s slow left-armers."
Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed has played only one Test, while left-arm spinners Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley are uncapped in the format.
"Reverse swing and keeping the stumps in play is going to be absolutely key" - Jason Gillespie
Gillespie explained that English bowlers must deploy reverse swing and attack the stumps consistently during the upcoming India series. He stated:
"Fast bowlers can have success in India, but probably need to drag their length back a foot or so from what they would be bowling in England because of reduction in bounce. Reverse swing and keeping the stumps in play is going to be absolutely key. You must set your fields for that."
The opening Test between India and England begins on January 25 in Hyderabad.