Ex-Aussie opener Katich highlights Tongue-Atkinson threat from England ahead of home Ashes series

Melbourne [Australia], October 27 (ANI): Former Australian cricketer Simon Katich pointed out that young pacers Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue could be a big threat for Australia during the Ashes series at home starting from November 21 onwards, pointing out their "good air speed", height, and great bounce.

England is heading to Australian shores with hopes of their first Ashes series win there since 2011 and since their 2015 triumph at home. They have one of their strongest bowling attacks in years, with express pacers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood being the headliners, skipper Ben Stokes being that relentless quick with the ability to produce miracles for his side, and two younger and relatively less experienced pacers, Atkinson and Tongue.

Katich sees Atkinson, Tongue, both 27, as quality bowlers despite their inexperience, and he feels they can do damage.

"They (England) are dangerous if they get it right, particularly with their bowling lineup," Katich said on SEN Breakfast.

"Everyone is talking about Archer and Wood, but they have got a couple of young quicks that I've seen first-hand the last few years, albeit in white-ball cricket, but they have played some Test cricket."

"Gus Atkinson and the other one is Josh Tongue, who was with us at (The Hundred side) Manchester (Originals). These boys can bowl, they've got some good air speed, they are both tall lads, they get good bounce," he added.

Katich said that if Australia decides to "juice the wickets up" like it has been the case for years, Aussies will have to bat really well against this bowling attack, with four of its members capable of clocking 140 km/h consistently. But the former batter questioned if these two younger pacers could survive the hot weather and the idea of playing back-to-back Test matches.

"So if we decide to juice the wickets up, which we have been doing the last few years, our boys have to bat well because they could play four guys bowling 140km/h and just keep coming at us all day with short stuff and making it hard to score," he said.

"But they do not have a lot of experience in these conditions, and if it is hot, they are not used to those conditions, and that will be the test. A number of those quicks haven't played a lot of back-to-back Tests, and that is probably going to be the big question mark for them," he added.

In six Tests for England since his debut in the 2023 Ashes, Tongue has taken 31 wickets at an average of 30.00, with best figures of 5/66 and two five-wicket hauls in 12 innings. He has momentum, having taken a whopping 19 wickets in three Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Tests against India at an average of 29.05 and best figures of 5/125. He was the second-highest wicket-taker in the series, next to Indian star Mohammed Siraj, and is known for his ability to wipe out the tail-end quickly.

Atkinson, who made his debut during legend James Anderson's last Test last year, has been even more impressive, with 63 scalps in 13 Tests at an average of 22.01, including four five-wicket hauls and a ten-fer and best figures of 7/45 on debut. He also took eight wickets, including a five-wicket haul in his only Test of the India home series at The Oval. His batting average of 22 and a Test ton also boost England's batting depth.

While Katich has some hopes for England's young guns, he does have a lot of concerns for England's 'Bazball' powered batting line-up, who he feels, could not get to play their brand of cricket on Australia's pace-friendly wickets.

"The danger is they get the right conditions with the bat, get on a roll, and we do not stop them with our bowling lineup. They could be a threat," he added.

"How does their batting lineup handle our bowlers in our conditions with the pace and bounce? Because they are used to playing on slower wickets where they can bully guys. Here in Australia, it can be hard to do that if you want to play 'Bazball' and the ball is flying through and nipping around 140km/h."

"I still back in our boys to get the job done, but we have got to bat well because if we do not it will be a tight series," he concluded. (ANI)

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