Praise for Harris, warning for Aussies

The man who oversaw England’s bowling blueprint for their two most recent Ashes triumphs has identified Ryan Harris as Australia’s pace trump for the upcoming five-Test series that begins next month.

David Saker, the former Victoria and Tasmania quick who has spent the past five years as England’s fast-bowling coach, has returned to his former home town of Melbourne to begin his stint at the helm of the Commonwealth Bank Bushrangers for the next three seasons.

Saker’s knowledge of Australian conditions and the vagaries of the local Kookaburra ball played an integral part in England’s 2010-11 Ashes success Down Under, and his work with new-ball pair James Anderson and Stuart Broad also helped England retain the urn at home in 2013.

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Saker with England's James Anderson in February // Getty Images

But while he refuses to endorse suggestions that England’s seam bowling pair might be losing their edge, he cites Harris – Australia’s most successful bowler in the 2013 series despite playing four of the five Tests – as the visiting paceman most likely to cause headaches for local batsmen.

“Anyone who pitches the ball up on a full length,” Saker said when asked who among the Australian pace attack that also includes Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle and Josh Hazlewood would likely fare best.

“I think Ryan Harris is a big key for Australian cricket.

“His record is phenomenal, he puts the ball in an area that makes it really difficult.

“It’s going to be an enthralling Test series but it’s going to be a bit of a battle with the bowlers – whoever bowls well I think will win the series.”

Harris, whose wife Cherie gave birth to the couple’s first child last week, has foregone the current two-Test series in the West Indies to hone his preparation for an Ashes campaign having undergone major knee surgery last year to remove floating cartilage and bone fragments.

Reports from Brisbane where the 34-year-old has been working on a comprehensive training regimen at the Bupa National Cricket Centre indicate he is bowling from a full run-up at top pace and is finally free from debilitating pain in his right knee.

Although Saker names Harris and his fellow Victorian Peter Siddle as bowlers likely to succeed in England conditions, he warned that England’s pace attack was also in good shape heading into the Ashes.

Anderson wrote his name into cricket history on Friday when he became the first England bowler to claim 400 Test wickets, but Broad’s bowling in the current Test against New Zealand at Headingley has drawn pointed criticism.

His insistence on bowling a succession of short deliveries at NZ tailenders Tim Southee and Matt Henry as the Blackcaps chased quick runs on Monday was met with incredulity by former England captain Ian Botham who repeatedly asked why Broad was not bowling yorker-length at the stumps.

It was also highlighted by former England off-spinner Vic Marks who noted in this daily blog for The Guardian newspaper that England’s bowlers “are inept in this phase of the game (bowling to tailenders”.

“Australia, who have a potent tail with a few imposters, will provide even more problems down the order,” Marks wrote.

But Saker scoffed at suggestions both Anderson and Broad were past their best, noting “they’ve done really well” in the current series against NZ that England leads 1-0 with a day to play.

And having been part of the England touring party that suffered a 5-0 Ashes whitewash at the hands of Australia 18 months ago, he does not believe the players who endured that humiliation will be carrying any lingering scars.

“I wouldn’t be writing those two off,” Saker said of the Anderson-Broad pairing that struggled in Australian conditions in 2013-14, though the latter was hampered in the back-end of the series by a foot injury.

"James Anderson, in my opinion, is as good a player as there is in the world.

"Stuart Broad, when the big games come along – and Australia is a big game – he seems to find something.

“So it’s probably only those two (bowlers) who played in that series (in Australia) and who will be playing in this one.

“I think Mark Wood (seamer who made his debut against NZ last month) looks a really good prospect and they’ve got Chris Jordan on the sidelines and Chris Woakes will be coming back.

“They know at home (in the UK) they are a very hard team to beat and over my years there was only (two) sides that went there and beat them (South Africa in 2012 and Sri Lanka last year).

“They are determined, they’ve got some good youngsters and I think they are going in the right direction.”

Despite his new role within Australia cricket, Saker has also counselled men’s team coach Darren Lehmann or anyone else involved in the national set-up to save their money if they were planning to call him in the hope of gleaning some inside information about England.

Although he’s delighted to be back in Melbourne, the 49-year-old explained that he carries fond memories and maintains strong friendships from his time in England and that he will aiming to “sit on the fence” rather than barrack for one team over another in the coming Ashes series.

“They haven’t,” Saker said when asked if he had been approached to provide some learned intelligence on England’s plans and personnel.

“To be fair that wouldn’t sit too well with me after five good years with them (England).

“I don’t think I’d pass too much on.”