If it wasn’t quite “World XI at one end, Ilford second XI at the other”, as Graham Gooch once described facing Richard Hadlee and his fellow New Zealand bowlers, the standout speed of Anrich Nortje underlined the wisdom of Australia’s current search for raw pace.
Sitting on the sidelines in a drinks waiter’s bib, the broad-shouldered West Australian Lance Morris could not only glimpse a widening window for a possible Test debut in Sydney in the new year, but also a lesson from Nortje in what to do with it.
Anrich Nortje in full flight at the MCG.Credit:Getty
Much as Mark Wood did during an otherwise grim Ashes series for England last summer, Nortje’s hostility, velocity and ability to make the ball climb off a length provided most of the rare moments of threat for Australia in a gargantuan 8-575.
In temperatures that touched 40 degrees on day two, Nortje’s pace never flagged, and touched a peak as high as 155km/h, only a fraction short of the mystical 100m/h mark, as David Warner worked his way through the 90s.
In fact, CricViz records dating back to 2005 show that Nortje and Wood have bowled the two fastest spells in Tests in Australia not delivered by a member of the home attack.
On day three, Australia’s inexorable march towards an enormous lead was momentarily held up by Nortje’s ability to blast opponents out.
Travis Head, having just passed another rapid 50 in a summer of plenty, was crooked and late on his next ball, bowled off his pads.
Warner, who spent the morning telling broadcasters that Nortje had bowled the fastest spell he’d ever faced, walked out to warm applause to resume his innings on 200, only to turn on his heels after getting nowhere near an attempted yorker that was likewise deflected onto the stumps.
“That was extraordinary,” Warner had told Seven. “In this heat, just to keep coming in, ball after ball, delivering 150-plus … it was awesome stuff from him, but as batsmen we’ve got to try to negate that.
“You know what’s coming to you, the hardest thing is to try to get into position to either pull it or get out of the way. As you saw I got lidded [hit on the helmet], and I can’t remember the last time I got lidded in a game.”
Add to that the broken and bloodied finger for Cameron Green that has already ruled him out of the Sydney Test, and Nortje has more than earned his keep in Melbourne. Rudely and unfairly, he had also been struck down by an errant Spidercam, and it was to Nortje’s credit that he claimed all his three wickets after recovering from the blow.
All of this is to say that Morris, who will almost certainly play in Sydney should Mitchell Starc not be passed fit, has the chance to be a critical addition to Australia’s bowling arsenal in 2023.
Built a little like Nortje, with high pace and a steep trajectory that Sheffield Shield batters have found difficult to pick up, Morris has the capacity to shake things up on an unhelpful pitch, or in spite of an established partnership. There is a palpable sense of danger afoot when Morris is in rhythm, a frisson not dissimilar to that accompanying spells by Nortje, Wood or Jofra Archer.
On the pace: Lance Morris.Credit:Getty Images
The nickname “Wild Thing”, bestowed upon Morris by some Perth clubmates who once had the misfortune of having to face Shaun Tait, is poignant. For all his speed and venom, Tait had few happy memories of his three Tests, a reminder of how the superfast must be carefully managed.
On Morris’ first call-up to the squad against the West Indies in Adelaide, his commission was clear: to act as Starc’s shadow while pushing Australia’s batters in the nets.
When Michael Neser needed a concussion test during that day/night match, some speculated the selectors might like the chance to pull a swift concussion substitution to get Morris into the game. A similar helmet hit for Starc late in Australia’s MCG innings drew similar flights of fancy.
In not only beating South Africa on home soil for the first time since 2005-06, but trouncing the Proteas by a big margin in Brisbane and likely by an even uglier gulf in Melbourne, Australia are on the cusp of reaching the World Test Championship final.
With a confident, established batting line-up now replenished by runs for Warner, a burgeoning keeper batter in Alex Carey and a bowling attack as consistent and demanding as any in the world, the Australians do not lack for much.
The presence of a fast man capable of unsettling opponents in the fashion of Nortje or Wood is about the only component they may require. Morris must still prove himself at the top level, but the search by the selectors is a wise one.
The England fast man John Snow once remarked that “speed defeats reactions”. Australia’s interest in Morris, despite already having one of the game’s most feared bowling attacks, is a proactive reaction to some of the spells their batters have weathered over the past few years.
