Australia’s Test bowling attack ranks among the best in the world over the last 50 years, having broken new ground as a quartet and taking an unprecedented number of wickets as a four-man unit.
asserted
attack → rank → unit
Statistically, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon sit comfortably in the same pantheon as some of the best West Indian attacks from the late ’70s.
asserted
Cummins → sit → 70s
Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall and Colin Croft combined hostility with control.
asserted
Holding → combine → control
People have described facing them as like facing an execution squad, offering no respite from either end.
asserted
People → describe → end
In Durban against South Africa last week, Australia out-bowled, out-batted and out-fielded their opponents and deserved their decisive victory.
asserted
Australia → bowl → victory
Like past combinations from the late 1990s and early 2000s – comprising Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee – today’s attack offers the ultimate balance of precision, elite spin, pace and nagging persistence.
asserted
attack → comprise → precision
The South African quartet of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, and Jacques Kallis from the late 2000s and mid-2010s also dominated an era favouring batting.
Then there was Pakistan’s outstanding attack: Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, with the spin of Abdul Qadir, another brilliant group who turned the old ball into lethal weapons capable of tearing through middle orders.
asserted
who → dominate → orders
Like the great West Indian combinations of the late 20th century and the Australian attack of the early 2000s, Cummins’ men thrive on discipline.
asserted
men → thrive → discipline
Hazlewood mirrors McGrath’s relentless probing line; Cummins attacks the stumps with fuller lengths; Starc provides the left-arm angle, swing, and X-factor pace; Lyon provides the control and sustained pressure of an elite spinner.
asserted
Lyon → mirror → spinner
While the historic West Indian pace battery holds the crown for sheer terror, and the 2000s Australian attack for ultimate match-winning balance, this crop matches them in longevity, relentless line and length and the ability to consistently grind down opponents through partnership bowling.
asserted
crop → hold → bowling
In Kingsmead, batsman Matt Renshaw set the tone for Australia in the first innings with support from Cummins and Lyon.
asserted
Renshaw → set → Cummins
The desperation to post as high a score as possible from 6-124 on a challenging wicket was obvious.
asserted
desperation → post → wicket
On his return to Test cricket, Nic Maddinson looked so desperate not to get out in the first innings that he made scoring look impossible.
asserted
scoring → look → innings
He soaked up much of the strike, and his dismissal was almost a relief to him.
asserted
dismissal → soak → him
Marnus Labuschagne looked more intent on scoring, and his resulting footwork was crisper.
asserted
footwork → look → ?
We may yet see the real Labuschagne by the end of the series.
uncertain
We → see → series
His dismissal soon after lunch on the first day, though, surprised everyone.
asserted
dismissal → surprise → everyone
South Africa didn’t bowl badly, but they didn’t bowl enough good balls in clumps to put pressure on the middle order on a wicket that was offering bounce.
asserted
that → bowl → bounce
They didn’t bowl a line or length suited to the conditions, so the Australians scored easily.
asserted
Australians → bowl → conditions
His game against spin worked in the conditions.
asserted
game → work → conditions
This part of his game has developed in recent years.
asserted
part → develop → years
With his sweeping, he is ambidextrous and drove the spinners to distraction by carefully choosing his shots.
asserted
he → drive → shots
He doesn’t try to over-hit his sweeps, relying on timing and placement to taunt the bowlers.
asserted
He → try → bowlers
He is a big man and uses his reach to advantage.
asserted
He → use → advantage
Cummins could easily have been a genuine all-rounder if his bowling hadn’t demanded so much.
uncertain
bowling → demand → much
He has a solid defence and an abundance of power.
asserted
He → have → power
He was determined to lead by example, and his partnership with Renshaw was critical to the match.
asserted
partnership → lead → match
Lyon is a fierce competitor who has become a better-than-useful tail-ender, handling short balls with the aplomb of a higher-rated batter.
asserted
who → become → batter
His defence is solid; he is fearless and rotates the strike well.
asserted
he → rotate → strike
The Australians again gave a masterclass in bowling in any conditions through immaculate lines and lengths.
asserted
Australians → give → lines
Few have matched their ability to bowl together for extended periods.
asserted
Few → match → periods
It must be like water torture to bat against them.
asserted
It → bat → them
His return from injury to bowl at an elite pace, full and at the stumps, is exceptional.
asserted
return → bowl → stumps
He consistently directs his bouncer with precision and utilises it efficiently, seldom wasting it.
asserted
He → direct → it
His default length is fuller than most, so every ball demands a response, and his full-blooded attack demands wickets.
asserted
attack → demand → wickets
Starc looked a little rusty, but that is the beauty of this group.
asserted
that → look → group
If one doesn’t get you, someone else will.
asserted
someone → get → you
His line rarely changes, and he bowls a suffocating length.
asserted
he → change → length
It must feel as if you are batting against a boa constrictor.
asserted
you → feel → constrictor
It is only a matter of how long it takes for him to squeeze the life out of you.
asserted
him → take → you
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
