'Spicier' wickets can help England

ASSISTANT coach Marcus Trescothick insisted spicier, bowler-friendly wickets in the Ashes could play into England’s hands.

- By DAVID CHARLESWORTH

Stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith pointed out conditions in the last three to four years are different to the flat pitches England have had on past tours and now tend to favour the pacemen.

“It’s probably been as challenging for batters as we've seen in a long time,’ Smith told reporters this week.

“We've got some guys that will be able to exploit the conditions. The bowlers are experienced, very good at what they do. It’s going to make for hard work for the batters.”

During last winter’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, who won 3-1, India’s Jasprit Bumrah collected a remarkable 32 wickets in five Tests in a series that was dominated by the quicks on both sides.