London: Cricket legend Ian Botham on Monday urged England to hand pace bowlers Steve Harmison and Simon Jones the chance to spearhead this winter's Ashes challenge.
The consequences of ignoring the fast bowlers' claims in Australia, said the former all-rounder, will be devastating with England at risk of being "trampled into the ground." Botham said that skipper Nasser Hussain's side has a chance of reclaiming the Ashes - but believes Harmison and Jones are crucial to those hopes. Botham was dismayed by the "negative" tactics employed during the fourth Test draw with India at The Oval and urged Hussain to "fight fire with fire" Down Under. He told the BBC, "There is no bigger tour from an England player's point of view. To win in the Aussies' back yard is the ultimate in your cricketing life. "I think we have a good chance if we pick the right players, but sadly we seem reluctant to pick our pace bowlers and we pick our mediocre medium pacers instead. "Jones' and Harmison's strike rates are so far ahead of anyone else this summer - the nearest one is about 10 or 11 balls away. "I got the impression we were at The Oval to save that game and if we go with that attitude this winter we will get hammered. We have got to fight fire with fire otherwise we'll get trampled into the ground. "If the Australians were watching the highlights of some of our bowling they wouldn't be hiding behind the sofa. "Where this negativity has come from I don't know. You have got to go into the arena with the intent of winning." And Botham was scathing about England's current crop of medium-pacers. "Our bowling was shown up to be what it is - average," he said ahead of the naming of England's Ashes squad, which will be revealed at Lord's on Tuesday. "If you've got pace that usually wins you matches. We've got pace - let's start using it. "The person I feel most for is Steve Harmison. He came into the Trent Bridge game and got five wickets and then he was left out. What does that tell a young man? "I would be very disappointed if he and Jones are not on the flight to Australia. "Four or five over bursts from someone like Steve Harmison is a lot more difficult than the dross that was served up at The Oval."
Tags: cricket, test series, australia versus england, ashes, london, ian botham, steve harmison, simon jones, skipper nasser hussain, the oval, down under.
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