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Swing low: The data driving Cup approach

Aussie quick downplays the impact of swing bowling in England during the World Cup

Pat Cummins is set to get an extended opportunity with the new ball at this World Cup, but he’s revealed a startling statistic suggesting the fresh Kookaburra fast bowlers typically crave may not actually be all that desirable during the tournament.

After thriving in the first-change role behind Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in the Test arena, Cummins has been equally effective when opening the bowling in one-day cricket in recent months.

Taking the new ball in each of his past five ODIs, Cummins has picked up a wicket inside his first three overs in all but one game and taken 17 wickets at 11.58 overall.

England has a reputation as being a haven for swing bowlers and the last World Cup on British soil, the 1999 campaign won by Australia where white Dukes balls were used, saw the most skilful, rather than the quickest, bowlers flourish.

The game has changed markedly in the ensuing two decades, including the introduction of a Kookaburra ball for all white-ball cricket, and Cummins has exposed a surprising fact to prove it.

"I just looked at some data before that out of all the ODI countries, (England) has got the least swing out of all of them over the past 20 years," said Cummins.

"Not really (expecting swing). Maybe a couple of overs. When the ball is hard you still feel like there might be a little bit of nip. But it's pretty flat."

Image Id: 0A75C5621BCD4771AA7F937F27305EEC Image Caption: Cummins bowls against Sri Lanka in Hampshire // Getty

The move to Kookaburras for ODIs in England has undoubtedly played a role in the shift, given the Australian-made balls typically swing less than the English Dukes.

Given the expected lack of movement in the coming weeks, Cummins said the first few overs of an innings will be crucial for bowlers to make early inroads before conditions become easier for batsmen.

"With the brand-new ball, you still get a little bit (of movement), whether it's a bit of extra bounce or maybe a tiny bit of nip (seam movement)," said Cummins.

"Bouncers we're going to have to use well, that's a real wicket-taking ball. Other than that, it's just trying to bowl good balls.

"I don't think you'll see too many teams running through other teams with big outswingers. It's just trying to find a way."

Cummins and his pace teammates have been working hard on their death-bowling skills, with bowling coach Adam Griffith introducing an ongoing training competition in a bid to fine-tune their ability to nail a yorker.

And given the trend of the one-day game, Australia's quicks will need them during the tournament. On Tuesday, the West Indies became the latest team to pass the 400-run mark in a 50-over innings, albeit in a practice game where they fielded an extended batting order.

"It feels a lot harder," Cummins said when asked about how one-day cricket has changed for bowlers.

"I feel like the white ball has swung a lot less than it did … whether it's us bowling or the ball changing or the conditions.

"It feels like when a batsman gets on a roll, it's a lot harder to contain them. You see a lot of players (are) a lot more confident taking the game on quite early, which brings some challenges for us bowlers."

2019 World Cup

Australia's squad: Aaron Finch (c), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

May 22: (warm-up) Australia beat West Indies by seven wickets

May 25: (warm-up) Australia beat England by 12 runs

May 27: (warm-up) Australia beat Sri Lanka by five wickets

June 1: Afghanistan v Australia, Bristol (D/N)

June 6: Australia v West Indies, Trent Bridge

June 9: India v Australia, The Oval

June 12: Australia v Pakistan, Taunton

June 15: Sri Lanka v Australia, The Oval

June 20: Australia v Bangladesh, Trent Bridge

June 25: England v Australia, Lord's

June 29: New Zealand v Australia, Lord's (D/N)

July 6: Australia v South Africa, Old Trafford (D/N)

July 9: Semi-Final 1, Old Trafford

July 11: Semi-Final 2, Edgbaston

July 14: Final, Lord's

For a full list of all World Cup fixtures, click HERE