Ahead of the first Test of the four-match Test series against South Africa, England’s head coach Chris Silverwood, on Monday (December 23), hinted that the touring side would go with an all-pace attack for the Boxing Day Test starting on December 26 (Thursday) in Centurion.
England had picked four seamers and all-rounder Ben Stokes for the second and final match against New Zealand in Hamilton and Silverwood said they are considering to continue the same bowling line-up for the first Test against the hosts Proteas side.
However, the England coach said their plans will depend on the match-fitness of Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad for Boxing Day Test, though, the two had an unscathed net session on Monday but didn’t bowl in match conditions on the Proteas tour after being hit by flu over the past week.
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Jack Leach is among those who are struck down by the flu in South Africa and is currently recovering from it, while England could also get the services of veteran paceman James Anderson who has only recently attained full fitness after an extended spell on the sidelines.
Ahead of the Boxing Day Test, the English coach admitted that they are mulling over going with a five-man seam attack in the series opener match owing to traditionally bouncy pitch at the Highveld.
Silverwood told reporters on Monday, “Yes, I think it is. We looked at the stats in Hamilton and they showed spin didn’t have much effect on games there. It’s the same here. It’s not rocket science and those stats are readily available. Look at the number of wickets taken by seam and spin in Centurion and the averages that go with them. They suggest seam is the way forward.”
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He continued, “We’re seriously looking at that. We are looking at what is most effective on this ground. We have got some good recent results from the spin-bowling department and (Jack) Leach is coming back to fitness, we also have Dominic Bess and Parky (Matthew Parkinson).
We have got resources there, but we are just looking at what will be most effective in this game. We are not definitely going down the route of all seam, it is something we will discuss in the next few days.”
On Broad and Jofra’s fitness for the first Test, Silverwood said: “Broady, if he tells me he is fit then I have to believe him. He has got a lot of experience under his belt and he knows his body. Jofra has had two good days (in the nets) and as long as his pace is up and he feels good, then he will be a serious contender for selection.”
He also heaped praise on Woakes for his efforts in the warm-up games against South Africa A while hinting at shortening his length on the Proteas wickets to be more effective in the four-Test series. Silverwood signed off by saying, “We saw in the two-day fixture he did get aggressive for a while, and it worked. It is something he has in his armory and I think he enjoyed it.”
England Test squad for South Africa Series:
Joe Root, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Matt Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
(With Reuters Inputs)
