ECB could look at managing fast bowlers at home: Dawid Malan

Dawid Malan has expressed concerns over the fitness of fast bowlers in England. (Source: AP)

England middle-order batsman Dawid Malan has expressed concerns over the fitness of fast bowlers in England and called upon the ECB to ensure that seamers back home are taken better care of so that they are able to bowl as quickly as possible. The difference between England and Australia’s seam attack has been noticeable with the home team clocking speeds of 145kmph consistently while England has barely touched 135kmph.

“A lot of counties have one fast bowler who they will literally play in every single game. Then, by the time he comes to getting picked for England, he’s bowling 80mph and is struggling with his rhythm and his form. Maybe the ECB could look at them and say ‘you play two championship matches, then rest one’, so they can get used to being able to bowl at full pace as often as they can, instead of counties just bowling the quick guys into the ground.

Citing the example of the Stevce Finn, he said, “Finny is obviously disappointed that he can’t keep that pace up and I think it’s just from the amount of cricket he plays. “I’m guessing if you look at the amount of cricket Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood play, it would be a hell of a lot less than Steven Finn. And if your workloads are higher and you’ve got more miles in your legs, it’s going to be tough to bowl that pace consistently.”

“People like Finny are going to have to work out what to do about it. If that means they’re going to have to have tough talks with their counties, they’re going to have to work something out,” he concluded.