Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting thinks that England's bowling attack will struggle on flat pitches during the upcoming Ashes.
"If England want to play the style that they've been playing, I actually think they probably need to have some flattish-type wickets," Ponting told The Times.
"I've heard that they want flat wickets, I've heard they want the boundaries brought in. But I think if they do have these flatter wickets, I'd be worried about how they're going to get 20 Australian wickets a game.
"With Jofra Archer not being there, without their number one spinner (Leach) being there, if they're flat, will Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Ollie Robinson be able to have a huge impact on the series?"
The conventional norms of cricket have been overturned by England coach Brendon 'Baz' McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, who have orchestrated an impressive streak of 11 wins in 13 test matches with an aggressive and high-risk, high-reward style.
Ponting said he was worried about the Australian batting lineup but predicted the bowlers would deliver.
"The records of some of our top-order batters are not as good here in the UK, but the bowling numbers are all pretty good," he said.
"I think England are going to bat really well. I think they're going to struggle with the ball, and I think if you look at Australia's attack, Australia's bowling probably right now has less holes in it than what the batting has."
The Ashes is starting tomorrow in Edgbaston.
- Additional input from Reuters
- Ricky Ponting