Heading into the final innings of the fourth Test of the 1978-79 Ashes series in Australia, England captain Mike Brearley was faced with a conundrum.
The hosts required just 205 for a win that would level the six-Test series, so the ever-unorthodox Brearley – famously described by former Australia bowler Rodney Hogg as having “a degree in people” – hatched a plan to frustrate the batters.
When Geoff Miller and John Emburey came into the attack, the skipper moved seven fielders to the leg-side and got the spin duo to bowl defensively. It could hardly have worked better, as Australia were bowled out for 111, Miller and Emburey took seven wickets between them, and the tourists secured the 93-run win which saw them retain the urn.
- Gripping first Ashes Test in the balance as Australia fire around rain
- England vs Australia – day three in Birmingham, as it happened | Scorecard
- Live cricket on Sky Sports | Watch with NOW | Get Sky Sports
Twitter Due to your consent preferences, you’re not able to view this. Open Privacy Options
Fast forward over 40 years later to the ‘Bazball’ era and the current captain Ben Stokes is pitting his wits against England’s oldest rivals in a similar manner, albeit with more attacking intent. That was showcased with some eye-catching fields deployed to help bowl the tourists out for 386 just before lunch on a rain-shortened day three of the first Test at Edgbaston.
“This is where England are ahead, especially Stokes,” former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara told Sky Sports after seeing Stokes set fields designed to tempt big shots and confound the opposition at the crease in equal measure.
Trending
- Transfer Centre LIVE! ‘Man Utd preparing £45m bid for Pickford’
- Canadian GP: Verstappen leads, Hamilton hunting down Alonso LIVE!
- Rodgers agrees long-term deal to return to Celtic
- US Open final round LIVE! McIlroy one shot off leaders Fowler, Clark
- Verstappen wins in Canada to deliver Red Bull 100th victory
- Bayern Munich in ‘advanced negotiations’ to sign Man City’s Walker
- US Open: R4 pairings and tee times
- World Cup of Darts LIVE! Wales demolish Scotland to win tournament
- Papers: Arteta holds PSG talks | Man City want Kimmich
- Gripping first Ashes Test in the balance as Australia fire before rain
- Video
- Latest News
“He understood singles wouldn’t matter to the tailenders – they were going to come out swinging. The fields were really well set to create those chances, showing the Australians they needed to take chances.
“The thinking was brilliant; the captaincy was brilliant, and England have already said they’re not going to settle for draws.”
Also See:
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Usman Khawaja’s superb innings of 141 came to an end thanks to Ollie Robinson
The batter-friendly nature of the Edgbaston pitch was always going to require a different approach and that was probably best encapsulated by the strategy Stokes used trying to dislodge unbeaten centurion Usman Khawaja, which included at one point an off-side-heavy field with seven in the in-field in catching positions.
The setting which may well have served to bamboozle Khawaja as much as anything, though, was the so-called ‘Yorkshire Wall’ – a term which, ironically, was coined by ex-Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie to describe the deployment during his time as Yorkshire head coach.
It sees three catching-position fielders placed on each side of the wicket in an effort to limit the batter’s options and had previously been utilised by Stokes on last winter’s tour of Pakistan. Whether it spooked Khawaja or not, he was bowled by Ollie Robinson for 141 when faced with that strategy from England.
The left-hander’s wicket came from Robinson bowling around the wicket, and he along with fellow seamers Stuart Broad and James Anderson regularly switched which side they were bowling from regardless of whether they were facing left or right-handers.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Scott Boland departed for duck with England in an aggressive field setting
It was not just the specialist batters Stokes utilised unorthodox tactics for, with Ollie Pope taking the catch which got No 10 Scott Boland out for a duck off Broad’s bowling to one of two close-in positions – the other filled by Stokes – around the bat.
Both Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins fell to catches in the deep as well after being dared to go for big shots off England seamers with attacking fields, although the absence of a front-line spin option forced Stokes to be even more creative in an effort to bring about wickets and ensure a first-innings lead.
That was due to a finger injury suffered by Moeen Ali which saw him bowl just four overs on the morning of day three, and whether the off-break bowler will be able to take the ball in Australia’s second innings is a concern for England.
Joe Root, whose part-time leg-spin has yielded 54 Test wickets at an average of 46.07, is the back-up option, but if Moeen cannot bowl then Stokes may have to come up with some even more inventive schemes to propel his side to victory in the opening Test of the series and a 1-0 lead.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The best of the action as England take on Australia on day three of the first Ashes Test
“It’s going to be a crucial issue, and it will be crucial to their thinking as well in terms of how much time are they going to need to bowl Australia out and who is going to do that well for them in terms of spin?” Sangakkara said.
“They have Joe Root as a back-up…but it’s going to be absolutely important. England need a spinner to do the hard yards.
“It’s turning, it’s staying low, you’ve seen how flat it was for the fast bowlers and how hard they had to work and try to get wickets.
“Moeen’s role is crucial, they’ll try to get him back fit to bowl, but if you’re the captain you’re going to worry. Root is good, but is he good enough?”
Watch day four of the first Ashes Test, from Edgbaston, live on Sky Sports Cricket on Monday. Build-up starts at 10.15am.
Sourse: skysports.com
