England will plot a positive approach against Mitchell Starc's pink-ball mastery in the second Ashes test against Australia, former pace bowler James Anderson said on Wednesday, predicting the visitors would focus on attack rather than mere survival.
Australia, who lead the five-test series 1-0 following their win in two days in Perth, have Starc as their premium bowler with a record of 81 wickets in 14 day-night tests with a pink ball, including five five-wicket hauls.
The second test, a pink-ball affair, will begin on Thursday in Brisbane.
ATTACKING PHILOSOPHY
Anderson said the visitors appeared ready to double down on their attacking philosophy, rather than retreat into their shells against Starc, by "finding ways to score, to put him under pressure, to knock him off his length".
"Brisbane is not quite as extreme as Perth in terms of bounce, but it's still bouncier than pitches you get in England," England's all-time leading test wicket-taker Anderson wrote in his Daily Mail column.
"Driving can be quite tricky, especially early on in your innings, unless it's really full. It's about assessing the conditions and recognising your potential scoring areas."
The 43-year-old, who played his final test in July last year, added that Harry Brook and others might employ innovative strokes such as lap and paddle sweeps to disrupt Starc.
"Those are the sorts of shots a number of players will be thinking about, as well as using their feet to advance down the wicket. Improvisation will be central to their thoughts," Anderson said.
Further, England must learn from their Perth mistakes, noting that "driving the ball on the up in Perth wasn't the right way to go about things" on the bouncier Australian pitches.
Starc, the player of the first Ashes test with 10 wickets, has pink-ball prowess which stems partly from his ability to strike early. He has claimed 25 wickets in the first over of a test innings.
"He bowls fast, swings it, he's got a great yorker on him and tends to come up with jaffas to order at the start of an innings," Anderson said.
"... It means that regardless of what time of day you bat, whether it be daylight or under the floodlights, for the first 10-20 deliveries you are vulnerable."