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Cape Town – Lingering technical problems against short-pitched bowling by England captain Andrew Strauss could be seized upon by South Africa’s pace bowlers later in the UK summer.
That warning came in the Daily Telegraph newspaper on Tuesday from former England opening batsman and controversial critic Geoffrey Boycott.
Writing in the wake of England’s hard-fought first-Test victory over the limited West Indies at Lord’s on Monday, Boycott said Strauss’s first-innings century (122) was a welcome development.
The left-hander had not registered a three-figure score in 26 Test knocks previously.
Boycott said: “Everyone is going to be happy that the captain made runs. When he reached his hundred you could see the relief and delight in Andrew’s face.
“Although he played nice and straight, when the ball is short he still has a problem. He doesn’t use his feet. He doesn’t move his back foot back and across; he just jumps in the air.
“The century will have given him some confidence, but he needs to work on that because he will definitely face plenty of short balls when South Africa come along (for three Tests) later this summer.
“Dale Steyn is quicker than Kemar Roach (who dismissed Strauss in both knocks at Lord’s – Sport24) and a far better bowler.
“Morne Morkel is a tall man who gets bounce allied to his pace. They will give him a working over.”
Strauss averages 41.26 in all Tests, but slightly higher at 43.73 against the Proteas.
