Bowling coach on Old Course as Stokes questions element quirkiness of chosen hole attack
As England trained in Multan's searing heat for the first time on Friday, their fast-bowling coach was fighting the cold over 4, 000 km apart in Scotland. James Anderson is spending this year playing the ancient Old Course at St. Andrews in a pro-am golf game, and his late appearance highlights the degree to which a fresh batch of England bowlers are stepping into the unknown.
When England next visited Pakistan, Anderson was instrumental in their 3-0 fresh blow. He played the initial two Checks, taking eight innings at 18.50- including a game to Mohammad Rizwan he described as "one of my best"- and doubled up as a fast-bowling coach to Mark Wood and, in special, Ollie Robinson, who shared 17 innings between them.
But now, they are all gone: Anderson was ushered into retirement in July, Robinson has a broken hip, and Wood has an neck injury. Today, it is another step into the unfamiliar for five bowlers who have never played a first-class match in Pakistan: Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone and Chris Woakes.
That is only exacerbated by Anderson's presence in the build-up to the line. England claim that he has kept in touch with their quicks every day while participating in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but he wo n't be arriving in Pakistan until the first day of the first Test, and WhatsApp is not an alternative to in-person coaching.
With Ben Stokes emerging as a doubt for the first Test, Woakes is likely to perform his first aside Test in two-and-a-half years, and his first in Asia since 2016: a chance not only to lead the attack, but to solve his extremely thin record elsewhere. England's another four rapid bowlers have played a solitary abroad Test between them.
Atkinson was rested from September's white-ball set against Australia after picking up a hip wrinkle in the last Evaluation of the summers, but bowled in education on Friday. Yet if Stone did play a game at home for the Multan Sultans in February, they will still be learning in Pakistan. Potts, Stone, and Carse all featured in the OD Is.
Stone's personal personal circumstances may play a role in variety during the series. He is engaged on Saturday, having planned his marriage three years prior to his most recent appearance: if he plays in the first Check, he will be forced to travel home after the second day's play before the ceremony, and he already appears highly unlikely to play in the next.
Multan is a place that requires fast adjustment, on and off the area. The temperature touched 40 degrees during England's earliest training session on Friday, and while the team are staying in a luxury hotel overlooking a golf course, their presidential-level security means they will see much more of the city over the next two-and-a-half weeks.
The ground has not staged a Test since England's 26-run win two years ago, and the early signs are that there will be some live grass on the pitch. " It has a bit of a green tinge", Zak Crawley said. " There are two days to go, so with this heat, it could easily turn and be very similar to the pitches last time. We'll wait and see, but at the moment, it's certainly a little bit green".
Crawley became the latest England player to reference comments that Shan Masood, Pakistan's captain, made before their series against Bangladesh last month. Masood suggested his side were at their best "wherever there's been help for the fast bowlers" but the preparation of a lively surface in Rawalpindi backfired, with back-to-back defeats.
According to Crawley," Looking at this wicket and hearing what Shan said in the media, I think this wicket could be a little greener and a little more seam-moving this time than it did two years ago." We have a very versatile bowling attack that also has some pace and some skill, and I believe the spinners will always be a factor in this heat.
" ]We've spoken ] a little bit about reverse-swing … it should be easy with the sweat, but maybe not so much with that wicket. The square looks quite green. ]Anderson ] has not arrived yet but he's an absolute master of that kind of thing. In these conditions, him and Robbo were a big reason we played well last time. He'll be valuable when he comes out."
England's fast-bowling attack has evolved at lightning speed in the last year, with Anderson and Stuart Broad moving on and a new batch of quicks replacing them with a focus on seam movement, rather than swing. The transition has been designed to help England compete more away from home: this series is the first real test for the next generation.
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