If only england had a man like neser!

Adam Collins reveals Australia’s lethal weapon with the ball – a man who has the answers of how to solve a problem like Steve Smith

- Adam Collins

An English mate dropped me a text when it became apparent that Australia would be replacing James Pattinson, for the second Test, with Josh Hazlewood. “If you’re not going to use Mitchell

Starc, can we?” he asked. I replied that it is Pattinson, after all, who has the necessary lineage to play for the Old Country – we saw that with his brother.

But the other point I made in return is that there is another bowler in Australia’s deep bank of quicks who would be a lot more useful to the home side’s primary cause objective now: getting Steve Smith out.

He’s the Australian bowler you might not have ever heard of, other than perhaps a vague recollection that he was one of the seamers that took a pounding on the Tim Paine led oneday series on these shores 14 months ago, annihilated five-zip by the Eoin Morgan Massive.

He is the guy who the chairman of selectors, Trevor Hohns, only halfjokingly noted when announcing the Ashes squad that they would need to ensure there were enough bowlers in the two tour games that they are squeezing in between five Tests in just 46 days.

His name is Michael Neser. Not only would he be England’s best bet at sorting out the Smith problem in the hypothetical scenario where intraAshes trading was an option, but you better believe that he is front-andcentre for a Test debut this week at Leeds.