Every successful side needs a gun bowler, a go to quickie with all the bells and whistles. In days gone by, England would always look to Andrew Flintoff when the going got tough, whilst the Aussies would invariably turn to the metronomic Glenn McGrath or the hostility of Brett Lee. However, recent times have seen a new generation of fast men take centre stage and stake their claim as their respective sides’ strike bowler. As part of our Ashes build-up, Jo Harman profiles each side’s key seamer and offers his verdict on where he thinks the advantage lies. Let us know whether or not you agree.

JAMES ANDERSON

RIGHT-ARM SWING BOWLER
AGE: 26
TESTS: 37
WICKETS: 128
BOWLING AVERAGE: 33.91
FIVE-WICKET HAULS: 6
AVERAGE PACE: 87mph

V

MITCHELL JOHNSON

LEFT-ARM SEAM BOWLER
AGE: 27
TESTS: 21
WICKETS: 94
BOWLING AVERAGE: 28.01
FIVE-WICKET HAULS: 2
AVERAGE PACE: 88mph

Since the last Ashes clash the bowling attacks of each side have changed dramatically. For England, Matthew Hoggard and Ashley Giles have made way for younger models, while Steve Harmison remains out of favour.

In fact, with Andrew Flintoff’s continuing injury troubles and Monty Panesar uncertain of his place, James Anderson could well be the only England bowler with any previous Ashes experience to take the field in Cardiff on July 8.

It’s possible that Australia’s bowling attack could have even less Ashes experience. Much to England’s relief McGrath and Warne are long gone, while Brett Lee is coming back from injury and Stuart Clark, so devastating in 2006/07, is no longer a shoo-in. A possible four-man attack of Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Nathan Hauritz would boast just 35 Tests between them. And crucially none have played in the Ashes.

This means that those who do have Test match experience have a responsibility to lead the bowling attack and inspire confidence in the novices. For England this responsibility falls on Anderson’s shoulders, while Johnson could bear the burden for Australia, just as he did so manfully last winter against South Africa.

If ‘The way he is controlling the swinging ball is as good as anyone in world cricket at the moment’ ANDREW STRAUSS ON JAMES ANDERSON

Anderson is coming off the back of a superb series against West Indies in which he looked unplayable at times. Sceptics may point out that the West Indian batsmen helped achieve this illusion, but the signs have been there for some time that the Lancastrian has matured into a world-class bowler, capable of spearheading the English attack.

Andrew Strauss appreciates the player he has become. “The way he is controlling the swinging ball is as good as anyone in world cricket at the moment,” said the England skipper after Anderson recorded Test-best figures of 9-125 in England’s innings victory at the Riverside.

His Ashes record leaves a lot to be desired – five wickets at an average of 82 – but Anderson is now a very different bowler to the one that last faced Australia.

Ever since his sensational introduction to international cricket as a 19-year-old his innate ability to swing the ball has always posed problems for batsmen. The worry was when the ball stopped swinging. His naturally full-length at not much more than 85mph proved cannon fodder for top-drawer batsmen.

Attempts by coaches to remodel his idiosyncratic action unsettled him further and he began to lose his way. But over the past two seasons the shy Burnley lad who shirked the limelight and insisted his mother didn’t like it when we called him Jimmy has found his feet in Test cricket.

The original bowling action is back and while he is looking at his feet as he releases the ball, he’s hitting the stumps with increasing regularity. He has worked tirelessly on getting the ball to reverse-swing and is now a threat with the old ball as well as the new. He is now the man the English bowling attack look up to, and the man his skipper calls on when he needs a wicket. Equally, he says he enjoys the newfound responsibility.

Similarly Mitchell Johnson is now without question Ricky Ponting’s go-to man and the main man of the Australian attack. The Queensland left-armer has grown in stature and become a giant of a cricketer.

With his bowling attack faltering, Ponting turned repeatedly to Johnson to both restore control and take wickets against South Africa this winter. He became Australia’s stock and strike bowler, sending down an astonishing 299 overs and taking 33 wickets in the six Test matches.

During the tussle Johnson developed the weapon every left-arm seamer yearns for; the ball that swings back into the right-hander. With this added to his already fearsome armory he will pose a daunting threat to England this summer.

A great strength of Australia’s in the past has been the ability to highlight a batsman’s weakness and tirelessly exploit it – as Alastair Cook, Marcus Trescothick and Strauss have found to their cost. Ricky Ponting has already singled out his opposite number as the man his side will target, and he will be looking to Johnson put his plans into practice and terrorise the English skipper.

(PREDICTIVE) TALE OF THE TAPE: Johnson’s performances of late have been nothing short of heroic but he will have to shoulder the burden of an inexperienced and inconsistent attack and that could well take its toll over a five-Test series. England have the better-balanced attack, allowing Strauss to use Anderson more sparingly and purely as an attacking force. How the Lancashire seamer counters Aussie tyro Phillip Hughes could prove to be one of the defining contests of the series.