England's attack solid but not spectacular
England's draw against New Zealand in the 1st Test at Lord's showed them to be a competitive side, capable of pulling themselves out of the mire as was shown when they teetered to 208 for 6 in their first innings. Michael Vaughan's timely hundred showed what folly it would be to jettison such a high quality player when he has so much good cricket left in him and it also re-established his authority at a time when certain sections of the press and cricketing public suggested it was time to look for another leader of the national team.
However, it is bowling attacks who win test matches and England's current 4 man unit, though fairly reliable and well drilled, lacks the killer punch needed to turn promising situations into victories. Ryan Sidebottom is pure class and Monty Panesar is a top class test finger spinner but there is one thing absent from this England line-up - pace. James Anderson and Stuart Broad are both capable of bowling lively spells yet neither could be described as truly fast. When the new ball gets soft and the pitch flattens out, pace is the key to creating pressure and taking wickets.
Over the past few years, England have had access to several bowlers of high pace including Steve Harmison, Simon Jones and Andrew Flintoff. Currently, James Anderson is probably the bowler capable of delivering the sharpest spells but they only really occur when he has the new ball in his hand. Pace allied to bounce is a lethal weapon and Flintoff's recent performances with the ball for Lancashire (before he strained his side) have been nothing short of ferocious. Conversely, Steve Harmison has a long journey ahead of him to regain the confidence of the selectors and the wider public who view him as weak.
The return of Simon Jones, now playing for Worcestershire, is a huge boost for English cricket and he regularly exceeded 90mph in last night's FP Trophy game against Hampshire. If he can stay fit and produce the same match winning spells that made him the best old ball bowler in the world, Geoff Miller and Peter Moores will welcome him back into the England squad sooner rather then later. In the meantime, Chris Tremlett's steepling bounce may be the weapon with which England look to unhinge a New Zealand batting line-up with a touch more solidity than during the winter.
Wello
