England’s possible plans to dismantle fragile Windies batting
Jofra Archer would be key to England's attack
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Ahead of the first Test at the Rose Bowl, reports from the English camp and media have suggested that England would be launching their secret attack, pairing both Jofra Archer and Mark Wood together. In that case, one of Stuart Broad or James Anderson would have to miss out, but for what?
The Guardian, on Sunday, had reported that the management is eager to show the world their potent pace attacking pair of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood. The duo has made a name for themselves in the last one year, individually, with Archer’s stunning debut in the Ashes where he really made the world talk about his pace. On the other hand, Wood, too, has not fallen down the news section, with his performance in the comeback series against South Africa gaining him the plaudits.
However, the potential of this attack is not the one in question but rather, the decisions that the English management should take around them is the one in doubt. If Archer and Wood have to be paired together at the Rose Bowl, it would mean that one of the experienced duo, either Stuart Broad or James Anderson might have to miss out.
According to the reports, it looks like the 485-wickets man might have to take the bench for the Test, with Anderson rearing to get back into action. On top of that, the trio of Anderson-Archer-Wood is just recovering from their respective injuries, which ruled them out at some point in the series against South Africa, early this year. If England does get through all this chaos, what would be its attack on Wednesday against the visiting West Indies?
Attack A- Jofra Archer- Mark Wood- James Anderson
The never-seen-before attack is making the waves, like a candidate before an election to be part of the playing XI against Windies on Wednesday. On an honest note, the wave has created enough ruffles for the management to take note of them, in an attempt to pair them together. However, a lot of it would depend on how the English side are planning to attack the Windies.
If they are set to plan and follow the India model, where India paired Jasprit Bumrah with Mohammed Shami, in an attack that would pepper the Windies batsmen, then this is the right path towards it. Its major talking points would be its ability to make life miserable for the batsmen, in the form of the Archer-Wood pace attack, with the unique ability of swing bowling that Anderson would bring in. Their potency alongside a weak Windies top order might just work wonders.
On the other hand, it has its own set of issues, a major one too. In the past, all the three bowlers have had their fair share of injuries, Anderson more than the others. While the management has revealed that they mishandled Archer initially, overworking him, pairing him alongside Wood and Anderson would not be the solution. Even if one of them goes down, it puts the entire summer plans for the Three Lions at risk.
Potent factor - 9/10 Reliability factor 3/10
Attack B- Jofra Archer- James Anderson- Stuart Broad
This pace attack has become the mainstay English attack since the Ashes kicked-off last year, with the trio played together every time when they were available and fit. This pace attack has everything to trouble the Windies batsmen - swing, pace, and more so seam movement. It is one of the tried and tested pace attack, with 45 wickets in between them from at the Ashes. This attack was the favourite to take the field at the Rose Bowl before the Wood-Archer campaign took a staggering turn.
The reason that it took a staggering turn is also the reason that this attack lacks, real raw pace. With only the inclusion of Archer, the average speed of this attack would be in the late 130 kmph, with Anderson and Broad on the lower side of the 130s. It would be too much of an ask from Archer to bowl plenty of overs in the middle, which could also potentially be a hindrance to this attack. In the absence of saliva, the question of the ball reverse-swinging is still a bigger mystery that needs to be solved. And for all the reasons above, England would dare not go with this unit, based on how easy it would be for the Windies batsmen to score runs once they settle in at the Rose Bowl.
Potent factor - 6/10 Reliability factor 8/10
Attack C- Chris Woakes- James Anderson- Jofra Archer
Incidentally, this attack too has never been tried and tested before in International cricket, with one getting injured while the other stayed fit and safe. The 709-wickets pairing for England would give the hosts a much-needed boost in terms of control and accuracy, especially given that Woakes and Anderson are two names in it. Whilst it would work wonderfully well in conditions like Headingley or Lords, where the conditions more often than not are overcast and the pitch has something to offer for the bowlers.
Here, we are talking about the Rose Bowl, a pitch where Woakes has never played alongside Jofra Archer. Teaming up two people who have no prior knowledge or experience at the Rose Bowl would be a big gamble to take ahead of the Test. Anderson would be the only bowler from the attack who would have an experience of rolling his arm over in Southampton, where he has picked 13 wickets for himself, against India and co while off-spinner Moeen Ali still stands strong with 17 wickets. Once the initial phase of swing and seam wears away, this attack might suffer the wrath of English media.
Potent factor - 4/10 Reliability factor 7/10
Attack D- Chris Woakes- Jofra Archer- Stuart Broad
While the other attacks were heavily dominated by one of the elements of swing, seam and pace, this attack is perfectly balanced and rightly put out. However, before the first Test, it stands highly unlikely that the management would even have these three names together in their head at the Rose Bowl. Only one of them will have the experience of bowling at Southampton, which is Stuart Broad, whose numbers aren’t that pretty here. In three games, the pacer averages 30.66 at the venue, picking up just nine wickets which automatically rejects this attack.
Chris Woakes offering more with the bat in comparison to Mark Wood and James Anderson might be a tempting offer for England to accept, however, his bowling performances in the recent past haven’t quite lived up to the mark. Even in the warm-up game, playing for Team Buttler, Woakes offered more with the bat compared with the ball, with a 37 whilst only picking one wicket with the ball in both the innings. Additionally, with Ben Stokes being the captain, it is still unsure of how much he would roll his arms, which would mean that England would need a reliable bowler up top to do the damage. With James Anderson fit, ready, and having the experience of bowling at the Rose Bowl and with numbers supporting him, England would very well not travel a lot with his matchup.
Potent factor - 4/10 Reliability factor 2/10
