England's resurgent pace attack firing on all cylinders under ‘Baz’ and Stokes

The English team have revamped their brand of playing Test cricket under their new red ball coach, Brendon McCullum, and skipper Ben Stokes. In the longest format of the game, the team has gone in with an aggressive approach, gradually revolutionizing the way the format is played. 

It is often said in the game of cricket that the bowlers win the match for a team. The same is evident in England's dominating performance in Test cricket in the recent past. 

While the batters have grasped the vital moments for the team in most matches, the bowling line-up has set up the game for the team. 

Since McCullum's arrival, let us look at the pacers' impact on England's Test performances.

1st Test vs New Zealand: This was the first Test for the Stokes-McCullum duo in charge. New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first in the match. 

The English pacers, under the leadership of James Anderson and debutant Matty Potts, strangled the Kiwi batting. Let us look at the figures of the English pace bowlers in the match.

The pacers bowled 105 overs in the two innings and picked up 20 wickets. However, the bowlers managed to pick up a wicket every 35 balls. While each wicket cost them just 20 runs in the match. 

The impact of the English pacers becomes more evident if the record of the Kiwi bowlers in the match is considered. The visiting team's bowlers picked up a wicket conceding 24 runs every 48 deliveries. The difference between the bowling attack of the two teams is quite clear, hence the impact of the English pacers. 

2nd Test vs New Zealand: In the second Test of the series, it was the batters who dominated the proceedings. But the better performance of the English bowlers helped them win the match. 

A total of 1675 runs were scored in the match for the loss of 35 wickets. Out of the 35 wickets in the game, 20 were picked up by the English bowlers. This was the significant difference between the two teams. First, let us look at the performance of the pacers of England in the match. 

The English pacers picked up a wicket in every 67 deliveries while conceding about 38 runs. On the other hand, the Kiwi pacers conceded 62 runs to pick up a wicket in every 82 balls. 

So, the figures suggest that the English pacers were the prime architects of the win for the team.

3rd Test vs New Zealand: In the third Test of the series, Jack Leach of England played a significant role in the team's bowling efforts. 

Let us look at the figures of the English pacers in the match. 

The English bowlers picked up a wicket every 93 balls in the match while conceding 45 runs for each wicket. On the other hand, the Kiwi bowlers managed to pick up a wicket every 52 balls while conceding 40 runs. 

This was one rare match where the opponent pacers impacted the game more than the English pacers. But the heroics of Leach ensured that the English team ended up on the winning side.

Ongoing Test vs India: In the current Test match against India, the English bowlers have been performing way below the expectation levels. 

The pacers of the host team have conceded 33 runs and taken 49 deliveries to pick up a wicket. On the other hand, the Indian pacers in the first innings have conceded just 26 runs per wicket. Moreover, they have taken just 35 deliveries to pick up one wicket.

The fact that the English pacers have been way below their counterparts reflects their position in the match. After the end of the first innings, the Indians were leading by 132 runs and are well on the way to winning the game. 

Conclusion: The way the brilliant performances of the English pacers have impacted the matches they have won indicates how important they are. The team finds itself in difficulty in the ongoing match where the opponent pacers have been way better than them. These things point to the fact that the English pacers have made an outstanding contribution to the team's dominating performance in the longest format of the game in the recent past.