How bad have England been with the ball in Australia since 2011? | A look at England’s numbers in Ashes series in Australia since 2011
It’s that time of the year when Australia and England will battle it out for one of the most anticipated and historic series in sporting history, The Ashes. When we think of Ashes, we quickly go back to the time in 2005 when England secured the urn on their home soil. That series is considered as one of the best series – if not the best – the cricketing world has ever witnessed.
Since that legendary series, there have been only two successful away tours; Australia drew the 2019 series to retain the Ashes, while England famously won 3-1 away from home in 2010-11. But since their victory in 2010-11, England have failed to win a single Test downunder in 10 attempts. England struggle badly away from home, and their record in Australia justifies that.
England fans who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s will pour scorn on this statement, but it is now 10 long years since England won an Ashes match in Australia. They are the team in the spotlight as they’ll be playing another “Away” Ashes series in a few days time and will be keen to improve their record in Australia.
Why has England struggled as a unit in Australia in the past?
Logic would suggest visiting teams would improve as they get used to the conditions. However, that hasn’t happened for England on their past two tours of Australia where they have lost nine out of 10 Tests.
There’s some justification for saying that cricket is one of the hardest sports for away teams when you take into account the different pitches, balls and climates which players encounter. However, players can be expected to deliver better.
It has been said by many cricket pundits, former captains, and present ones that batters win you games but bowlers win you series. The reason why England haven’t won in Australia post-2011 is that their bowlers have found it tough to perform in these conditions.
Let’s take an example of the teams that have dominated Aussies in their own backyard. Since England’s last Ashes win in Australia, only two teams have gone on to beat the Aussies – South Africa and India. Both visiting teams each defeated Australia twice.
The numbers given below in the table give us the idea that both South African and Indian bowlers did enough damage with the ball to register a series win in Australia.
| Teams | Wickets | Average | Strike Rate |
| South Africa (2012-13 & 2016-17) | 78 | 27.80 | 51.5 |
| India (2018-19 & 2020-21) | 92 | 27.21 | 56.4 |
What England bowlers did right in 2010-11?
England did something similar to South Africa and India in their last series win in Australia. It was a combined effort of the bowling group which gave England the desired results.
James Anderson spearheaded the attack with 24 wickets in five matches at 26.04. England’s pace group picked up 70 wickets at an average of 27.64 and a strike rate of 53.7. The spinners, led by Graeme Swann, played the supporting role to a great effect claiming 16 wickets at 38.31 and a strike rate of 84.
Yes, Alastair Cook dominated with the bat, but the bowlers were able to take 20 wickets consistently. They clicked as a unit to help seal the 3-1 series win.
| England Bowlers in 2010-11 Ashes | Wickets | Average | Strike Rate |
| Pacers | 70 | 27.64 | 53.7 |
| Spinners | 16 | 38.31 | 84 |
Yes, one can come with an argument that Australia is not one of the easiest places to bowl, and records of the visiting teams supports the argument. For all the teams that travelled to Australia post-2011, England has the fourth-worst bowling average (43.43) and strike rate (79.14). England needs to better this record if they have to come close to beating the Aussies in the upcoming Ashes series.
| Teams | Wickets | Average | Strike Rate |
| South Africa | 96 | 33.62 | 55.99 |
| India | 244 | 38.07 | 66.93 |
| New Zealand | 118 | 41.77 | 71.43 |
| England | 155 | 43.43 | 79.14 |
| Sri Lanka | 56 | 50.25 | 83.00 |
| Pakistan | 46 | 69.63 | 99.50 |
| West Indies | 12 | 124.08 | 159.50 |
One would’ve expected Poms to improve on that when they travelled for the away Ashes series’ in 2013 and 2017. But the exact opposite happened as England bowlers struggled in both tours. England’s pace bowlers combined average is 38.56 with a strike rate of 74.2, while spinners averaged 87.00 at a strike rate of 144.1.
The data given below in the table demonstrates how poor England’s bowlers have been in their last two visits to Australia. England’s star all-rounder Ben Stokes averaged less than England’s most successful red ball bowlers – James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
Although the sample size is small for Stokes, still it can’t justify how poor the experienced duo of Anderson and Broad have been on Australian shores. Fast bowling has been the traditional strength of the English team and unfortunately, the pace attack has not been penetrative enough down under.
| Bowlers | Innings | Wickets | Average | Strike Rate |
| James Anderson | 18 | 31 | 35.09 | 80.1 |
| Stuart Broad | 17 | 32 | 34.46 | 66.9 |
| Ben Stokes | 8 | 15 | 32.80 | 46.7 |
| Chris Woakes | 7 | 10 | 49.50 | 100.2 |
There’s nothing at all to comment on how the English spinners have fared in Australia. In fact, their strike rate (144.1) is the worst amongst all the visiting teams in Australia since the year 2011.
Can England bounce back in the 2021/22 Ashes series?
Now the question comes in after two back-to-back failures in Australia, can England bowlers turn things around this time?
To find the answer we need to assess what they have done with their bowling combinations. England’s most seasoned and successful Test duo of Anderson and Broad are there in the squad along with Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, and Craig Overton. Jack Leach and Dom Bess are the two spinning options in the squad with skipper Joe Root.
However, the absence of Jofra Archer is a major setback to England’s chances of winning an away Ashes for the first time since the winter of 2010-11, although the return of Ben Stokes is a welcome boost.
Broad is coming off an injury layoff and lack of match practice raises questions over his form, while his partner is having another year to remember. Anderson with 32 wickets is the fifth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket this year.
England’s new pace sensation Ollie Robinson has been the find for England this year. The Sussex bowler has taken 28 wickets at 19.60. Chris Woakes although hasn’t played much Test cricket of late but he’s been in fantastic form with the white ball and in Sam Curran’s absence, Woakes has to be England’s second all-rounder after Stokes.
Woakes has struggled away from home but he has done a lot of hard work behind the scenes with Darren Gough to improve himself with Kookaburra ball. If fit, Woakes should take part in all the five Ashes Tests.
Stokes’ golden arm guarantees England wickets as he’s the man who provides the crucial breakthroughs and if needed he can also bowl long spells for his captain.
However, Root needs to be very careful about how he will handle Mark Wood. Wood has been prone to injuries and is not a bowler who bowls long spells, Root will have to use him in short bursts. Opposite to Woakes, Wood has a better record away from home; in fact, his both five-wicket hauls came outside England.
Overton is also coming off a successful county stint which marked his return to the English setup. England although have variety in the fast bowling group but they also are light on raw pace, with Wood the only bowler capable of bowling in excess of 90mph.
In the spin department, Moeen Ali’s retirement has made Jack Leach England’s number one spinner whereas Dom Bess got lucky with his selection as his form this year won’t get him a place in any team. If the conditions allow England to play a spinner then it should be Leach considering how well he bowled in India against quality batters.
We believe that Anderson and Broad will be rotated as Woakes and Robinson are too good to miss out. On bouncy Australian tracks, Robinson’s height and ability to hit the right areas on a consistent basis may well pip him over the experienced Broad, and one can’t rule out his ability with the bat. As a team, England always liked a longish tail and having both Woakes and Robinson will serve this purpose.
England will have to rely on Anderson’s discipline, Robinson’s hostility, Woakes’ accuracy, and Wood’s pace to take the Urn back home.
The five-match Ashes 2021-22 test series between Australia and England is set to commence from 8th December 2021 at the Gabba, Brisbane. Host Australia will also defend the trophy after winning it in 2017-18 and regaining it in the 2019 Ashes series in England.
It’s going to be another fascinating Ashes series between the old rivals and as said if England wants to win the series they have to outbowl Australia.
Written by Vaibhav Tripathi. Follow Vaibhav on Twitter today.
