Healy claims quicks were 'underdone'

Wicketkeeping great Ian Healy doesn’t believe Australia’s pace attack was adequately prepared for the third Test in Edgbaston.

Healy was critical of Australia’s performance following a heavy defeat inside three days, suggesting the three-pronged pace brigade of Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood – the very same trio that ripped through England at Lord’s less than a fortnight earlier – did not have a sufficient build-up to performing effectively in Birmingham.

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Asked if he was happy with the fast bowlers’ preparation leading into the match, the Wide World of Sports commentator replied: “No, they were underdone as well (as the batsmen).”

“They played two four-day Tests.

“I don’t agree with the strength and conditioning people, workload people attaching the West Indies tour workloads to now.

“They’re totally separate things.

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“These fellas haven’t got enough bowling under their belt and it showed in this Test match – that under pressure you need experience, you need form and you need rhythm and they have had 10 days off.

“They’re not going to achieve that.”

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Given the traditional injury problems associated with fast bowlers, Cricket Australia has in recent years developed and implemented a complex system that monitors workloads, taking into account both recent and less current activities.

Hazlewood, Johnson and Starc all played both Tests in the Caribbean, meaning the trio have now played five Tests in the past two months, with the first Test against West Indies having started on June 3.

In those five Tests, all three bowlers are indeed averaging below their career output of overs per match: Johnson’s career mark is 36.9 versus 29 over the past five Tests; Starc 33.75 v 28.96, Hazlewood 33.7 v 30.26.

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At Edgbaston however, together with Nathan Lyon they were able to bowl England out for 281 in their first innings, and given their side’s own disappointing batting performance, were only lightly required in the second innings, leaving their loads well below their averages (Johnson bowled 22 overs, and Starc and Hazlewood bowled 22 each).

In contrast to Healy’s claim that they were underdone, Australia captain Michael Clarke suggested his pace attack simply failed to bowl consistently accurately.

“When we had our chance to bowl (in the first innings), we didn’t execute at all,” Clarke said.

“We had perfect bowling conditions – (it was) overcast, a little bit of rain around, and we just couldn’t hit the areas consistently.

“I don’t think we executed as well as we did at Lord’s … we had to be better than what we were.

“It’s a tough one, because you see both sides: you see the way we bowled here and in Cardiff wasn’t good enough; you see the way we bowled at Lord’s and that was as good as any attack you’ll face in world cricket.”

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