Ashes 2015: Stuart Broad and James Anderson Rewarded for Keeping It Simple

Much of the talk before the first 2015 Ashes Test was about England's aggressive new approach against Australia. England's batsmen certainly lived up to that all-action billing, scoring at more than four runs per over in each innings.

The seam attack, led superbly by James Anderson and Stuart Broad, and handsomely supported by Mark Wood and Ben Stokes, showed there's still room for the age-old virtues of line and length.

On a Cardiff pitch offering some help to the quicker bowlers, Broad and Anderson both reaped the rewards for keeping things simple. Put the ball in the business area often enough and the results will take care of themselves.

The experienced England duo hardly wasted a delivery with the new ball in either innings. There was no width for David Warner. Very few juicy leg stump offerings for Steve Smith to stroke through mid-wicket. No let up for Shane Watson's enormous front pad.

Throw in late swing with that immaculate line and length and it was a supremely impressive effort from England's veteran pacemen.

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"They're great bowlers. You do have records like that without being great bowlers," Cook on Broad and Anderson #Ashes pic.twitter.com/c20RshbZgh

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) July 11, 2015"

Even with the best part of 700 Test wickets between them, the knock on England's two premier seamers is that they sometimes bowl a little too short. That certainly seemed to be the case during England's previous Test match against New Zealand at Headingley.

England's bowlers suffered a collective brain freeze against the Kiwis. In the second innings in Leeds Brendon McCullum's side smashed them for 454 from just 91 overs. Unable to maintain any control in the face of some aggressive batting, Broad and Anderson completely lost their radar.

They bowled so wildly it even prompted a headline in the Daily Mail that read, “Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson have a pathological fear of bowling full...England must act now to stop rot before the Ashes.”

If Cardiff is anything to go by, they have done so.

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WATCH: Big wicket! Broad strikes to remove Steve Smith! #MyAshesSummer https://t.co/iktsNrQS4l

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 11, 2015"

If the Australians thought they would get some respite from the more inexperienced members of the England attack they were very much mistaken. Mark Wood showed that his impressive efforts against New Zealand earlier this year were no fluke.

The Durham paceman topped 92 mph on the speed gun and challenged all of the Australian batsmen. With swing to go with his undoubted speed, he was a fine foil for Broad and Anderson. Inexperienced he may be but Wood looks a great prospect, as long as he can stay clear of injury.

As he showed against New Zealand at Lord's, Ben Stokes is a bowler able to produce unplayable deliveries. He's also been capable of dishing up a four-ball seemingly every over. Not so in Cardiff. The England all-rounder's line was as sharp as the crease in Alec Stewart's slacks for most of the match.

Joe Root's extra life, courtesy of the gloves of Brad Haddin, aside, the game's pivotal spell arguably came late on Day 2. England dried up what had been a brisk Australian scoring rate in the final session and edged in front when Stokes dismissed Adam Voges just before the close. It was an advantage they wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of the game.

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WICKET! Voges drives Stokes straight to Anderson at short cover: http://t.co/UfPzlxPbrW #MyAshesSummer pic.twitter.com/EYro1mWVzy

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 9, 2015"

Yes, the pitch suited the kiss the top style of England's seamers rather than the hit the deck Australians. One of the keys to bowling is being able to adapt to the conditions and find the right line and length for any given pitch. England's pace attack in Cardiff managed that far better than their Australian counterparts.

Whether that continues for the remainder of the series will go a long way toward deciding the outcome of the 2015 Ashes.