Australian Attack Versatile Enough to Succeed Regardless of Conditions

It's sometimes said that a captain is only as good as the bowlers at his disposal. A quick look at the firepower on offer in the Australian attack and it's no wonder Michael Clarke is considered one of the game's top skippers.

That somewhat simplistic view does Clarke a disservice of course. Alongside Brendon McCullum, he is one of the most tactically inventive minds in the game today. Having such a versatile selection of bowlers under his command does his cause no harm.

A case in point was the Aussie attack's superb effort to dismiss the West Indies for 148 in the first innings of the Dominica Test. Despite winning the toss and batting on a slow but pretty flat surface, Denesh Ramdin's side were suffocated by a disciplined Australian bowling performance.

Josh Hazlewood was the pick of the seamers at Windsor Park. Bowling a beautiful, metronomic line, the 24-year-old found just enough seam movement to trouble all the West Indian batsmen.

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— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) June 3, 2015"

After a relatively sedate return to Test action following Indian Premier League duty, Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson cranked up the pace and soon found their range. Even spinners Nathan Lyon and Steve Smith got in on the first day act.

There was much to enjoy in the recent England versus New Zealand Test series. The ragged bowling at the tail wasn't one of them.

Michael Clarke's side gave a masterclass in how it should be done. Of course, having bowlers with the pace of Starc and Johnson helps. After softening up Shannon Gabriel with some short stuff, Johnson bowled full and straight and was rewarded with a nick to slip. Hopefully Stuart Broad was watching.

Clarke showed no reluctance to get his spinners bowling at the tail either, even before tea on Day 1. The filthy long hop can be a dangerous delivery to a lower-order batsman, as Jerome Taylor proved by smashing one from Smith straight up in the air.

The bowlers in Dominica were helped by a superb performance in the field where every opportunity was held.

There's been much talk in England about what sort of pitches should be served up if the hosts are to challenge in the Ashes let alone reclaim them. On this evidence, it won't really matter.

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#BowlingUnit pic.twitter.com/qAkX9yP9ry

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) June 3, 2015"

It the pitches are quick, Starc and Johnson have pace to burn. If England go in the opposite direction and opt for traditional slow seamers, it could easily play into the hands of Hazlewood.

It's a bit early for comparisons with Glenn McGrath, but the New South Welshman is doing a pretty good impression. Sitting out the IPL to concentrate on his Test career is looking to be a canny move.

Given Moeen Ali's recent struggles, it's unlikely that any pitches will resemble Kolkata dustbowls. If they do, then the underrated Lyon and mercurial Smith will likely be a match for any spinner England pick. And we've not even mentioned Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle.

That's not to say it's impossible to score heavily against this Australian attack. It's less than a year since they were walloped by Pakistan after all.

And despite losing the Test series two-nil, India's Virat Kohli, Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane showed during the winter what was possible with the right mix of attitude, application and a little luck.

Michael Clarke looks to be holding all the aces in the current series in the Caribbean. His hugely versatile attack will make the Aussies firm favourites against the West Indies and in the Ashes series that follows.

Mitchell Johnson may lose his radar. Ryan Harris may lose fitness. Mitchell Starc may not be able to replicate his one-day form in the five-day game. Those are all pretty big ifs. On current evidence, it could be a long summer for England.