London: England may not boast the best bowling attack of recent times, but they possess the greatest strength in depth for decades, former cricketer Vic Marks has said.
“England are blessed with a band of good bowlers, no matter which ones are chosen. Since May 2010, Graeme Swann has played in all 16 matches, Jimmy Anderson in 15, Stuart Broad 11, Steven Finn 10, Chris Tremlett seven, Tim Bresnan four and Ajmal Shahzad one,” Marks wrote in a Guardian article.
“During that time, all of them average significantly less than 30 with the ball, which is a fair benchmark of success. Add Graham Onions, now recovered from injury, to that batch and England have a genuine reservoir of pacemen,” he added.
Marks also said that Bresnan and Broad provide a magnificent insurance policy of bowlers who can bat.
“Recently only the South Africa side at the turn of the century, with so many all-rounders down the order, could rival this depth of batting,” Marks wrote.“This is one of the great strengths of this England team. Which leads to another oddity: that even now so many sage onlookers yearn for England to change the balance of their side by including a fifth bowler,” he added.
ANI
First Published: Sunday, August 07, 2011, 19:51