Legendary Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath believes Scott Boland will be better-suited to a green Lord’s pitch than Mitchell Starc.
Boland was unable to work any magic on a flat Edgbaston pitch in the first Ashes Test, and finished with match figures of 2-147. Considering Starc is known for his ability to extract reverse swing from flat, dry pitches, it has been suggested he would have been the better first Test choice.
In a column for the BBC ahead of the second Test which gets underway on Wednesday night, McGrath argued that Boland would be the better choice at Lord’s, but selectors would be hesitant to leave Starc out again.
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“Australia will give some serious consideration to their team for Lord’s. They were desperate for Scott Boland to play at Edgbaston, but the dry conditions turned out to be difficult for him. England really looked to get after him,” McGrath wrote.
“Mitchell Starc will be straining at the leash to play this week, especially after sitting out in Birmingham and playing just once on the last tour in 2019.
“It could be that the Lord’s conditions are more suited to Boland’s pitch-up, nibble-around style, but I’m not sure Australia will want to leave Starc out for two consecutive matches.”
England will go into the second Test with an all-out pace attack, with Moeen Ali dropped in favour of Josh Tongue, who only made his Test debut in England’s one-off Test against Ireland earlier this month, also at Lord’s, where he took 5-66 in Ireland’s second innings.
The versatility of all-rounder Cameron Green gives the Aussies an advantage. His inclusion gives Australia a fourth quick, while still allowing Lyon to play.
McGrath believes a win at Lord’s will all but ensure Australia retain the Ashes.
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The last time a team came back from 1-0 down to win an Ashes was England in the infamous 2005 series, in which McGrath’s warm-up injury turned things for England. McGrath believes Australia would have won the 2005 series had they been the ones to get over the line in Edgbaston.
“The same is true now. If Australia win at Lord’s, the Ashes are done and dusted,” he wrote.
To regain the Ashes, England must win the series outright. If Australia win at Lord’s England would need to sweep the remaining three Tests at Headingley, Old Trafford and The Oval.
McGrath said he was a fan of England’s Bazball aggression, and said Ben Stokes’ declaration on day one would have made him look a genius if it had worked.
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“(England) are aggressive, positive and back themselves. That is what I want to see from all sportspeople. Only when you play without fear do you learn what you are truly capable of,” McGrath wrote.
“Did England take it too far in Birmingham? It’s a fine line. Declaring on the first evening would have looked brilliant had they taken a wicket or two, but they didn’t.”
Play begins at 8pm AEST.
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