Former Australian fast bowler Damien Fleming has questioned the tactics of the Australian bowling attack after the drawn fourth Test with India.
Speaking on SEN Mornings, Fleming wondered if the Australian bowling attack bowled too short on a pitch that didn’t deteriorate as much as they initially thought it might.
“We didn’t have a lot of LBW shouts, which I think indicates a couple of things. The pitch didn’t deteriorate like they thought it would, but I just thought we bowled far too short,” Fleming said.
“It was a bumper barrage, which I don’t mind forcing batsmen back, but then you’ve got to for the LBW or the bowled or the nick behind.
“It really wasn’t until the end of the day that Mitchell Starc started bowling full, we get the edge that Paine dropped and had some missing the outside edge.
"It was quite surprising he didn’t bowl that length earlier in the day.
“The short ball barrage is all about eventually going full, whether it’s a yorker, a loopy slower ball that gets them hitting a ball vertically to a catching over or somewhere there."
Fleming believes the Australian bowlers need to be more willing to commit to fuller deliveries.
“We were doing plenty of pitch maps on channel seven and there were no yorkers at all until right at the end,” Fleming said.
“When things are getting tough, there’s nothing wrong with players reverting back to their T20 skills where they’re so adept at bowling wide yorkers, slower short balls.
“I just thought there wasn’t enough variety from the Australian bowlers.”
The fourth and final Test between Australia and India begins on Friday from the GABBA.
Flem: "Not sure the short ball plan is working. All it's getting is runs. It's so predictable. It's pretty dumb really."#AUSvIND
— SEN 1116 (@1116sen) January 11, 2021