‘It is not rocket science’ – England’s bowlers finally find right length

What are a few inches between friends?

England’s pace attack will have collectively pondered, fretted and chewed the festive bowling fat on their journey from Adelaide to the Melbourne Cricket Ground this week.

And somewhere between common sense and desperation, they settled on a formula: bowl a little fuller.

In the first three Tests of this Ashes series in Australia, the average length of England’s bowlers was 7.85m and, for the majority of that time, Australia’s batters made hay as the hosts raced into a 3-0 lead in the five-match contest.

On day one in Melbourne, England hit an average of 6.89m and Australia endured a Boxing Day batting breakdown as they were toppled for 152.

Those small margins made the difference at ‘the G’ as they hit the spot. England’s attack visited the areas where wickets actually live.

Australian hands were drawn into playing, edges started to be found and it was an England attack with purpose rather than just hope.

“England just bowled better, and they put it in good areas,” former England spinner Phil Tufnell said on Test Match Special.

“It is not rocket science. The pitch wasn’t seaming everywhere, it was just holding a little bit – that’s why England won the toss and had a bowl.”

According to CricViz, England’s average length of 6.89m was the second-fullest they have bowled in any Test innings since Brendon McCullum was appointed coach.

There was an element of fortune to start. Travis Head dragged on to Gus Atkinson and Jake Weatherald was strangled down the leg side by Josh Tongue.

But then the latter’s skillful knack of snaffling wickets came to the fore as he bagged two of Australia’s dogged top order.

Marnus Labuschagne received a full delivery from Tongue angled into the stumps and edged to slip, before the same bowler snared Steve Smith with one which nipped to bowl him through the gate.

Michael Neser and Scott Boland followed to Tongue in consecutive deliveries – bowled by a nip-backer and caught at second slip respectively.

CricViz’s stats showed Tongue finished with 5-21 off the 24 deliveries that he pitched in the area of the pitch classed as full (3-6m).

In the ball-tracking era, only one English seamer (before Tongue today) has ever picked up five wickets from a full length in a Test innings.

That was a memorable effort by Stuart Broad at Trent Bridge in 2015.

Tongue’s pace dropped from an average of 86.7 mph in Adelaide to 85.3 mph in Melbourne. This looked and felt more like the ‘Redditch Rhythmist’, rather than the ‘Redditch Rocket’.

“It was a case of pressure really: good constant pressure and Australia couldn’t get away. England bowled how Australia did on that very hot day in Adelaide,” Tufnell added.

“You could get behind the bowling unit and clap them instead of being carved through gully. We have bowled too short all series until today but that was a good performance.

“There were a few overheads too, a few clouds, but they put it in good areas. I am delighted for Josh Tongue, he’s been the pick, without doubt. It was excellent bowling.”

England bowled full, and as their bowlers put their feet up between innings their glasses – whatever the tipple – must have been a little more than half full.

Even if their respite was shorter than they might have liked.