Anderson defends tall order

Cricket365
September 26, 2013

Seamer James Anderson has defended the arguably one-dimensional nature of England's bowling ranks, ahead of the Ashes series in November.

The tourists have named a squad lined with right-armers, including the tall Steven Finn and Chris Tremlett, who did not feature in the first-choice XI for the five Tests against Australia earlier this year, and the uncapped Boyd Rankin.

The talented Graham Onions, meanwhile, was overlooked – and the in-form Ben Stokes gained selection ahead of fellow all-rounder Chris Woakes. The experienced Tim Bresnan was not considered due to injury. Spinner Monty Panesar was recalled, despite being released by Sussex after urinating on a bouncer outside a Brighton nightclub recently.

"It is a really good looking attack for Australian pitches. From our last trip there having that tall bowler really helped us," Anderson told the <i>Daily Telegraph</i>. "But with the taller bowlers it is not just about banging it in. They are very skilful bowlers.

"Stuart and Tremlett can swing and reverse it and Boyd and Finn hit the seam. It is not just about going over there and bowling short. It really is about being smarter than that, I'm sure."

The 29-year-old Rankin has graduated to the Test fold on the back of an outstanding stretch of form during this month's ODI series against the Aussies, whose top-order batsmen were genuinely troubled by the lanky, Londonderry-born seamer's pace and bounce.

"Australia got a good taste of facing Boyd. He looked a real handful at times and that will worry them. Even if he doesn't start the series we have got that sort of player in the squad to use when we need to. It is good to have that depth," concluded Anderson.

The first Test will get underway in Brisbane on 21 November. Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney will host fixtures two, three, four and five respectively.