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James Faulkner is not the dominant ODI batsman he once was, but his bowling in the 50-over format has quietly improved.
Since the start of 2015, Faulkner has taken 46 wickets from 30 matches. In that time, only four bowlers worldwide have taken more ODI wickets – Mitchell Starc (71 from 33 matches), Imran Tahir (64 from 37), Trent Boult (63 from 31) and Adil Rashid (48 from 33).
What’s more, out of the top 15 wicket takers in the world over that period, only four had a better average than Faulkner’s 26.34.
The only bowlers with lower averages during that time are all genuine stars of the ODI format – Starc, Boult, Tahir and Kagiso Rabada.
Yet, Faulkner’s figures would be significantly more impressive if it weren’t for his struggles against India.
Perhaps because of his heavy exposure to Indian players via years of playing IPL, Indian batsmen love facing Faulkner. In his nine ODIs against them over that period he has taken nine wickets at 46, compared to 37 wickets at 21 against all other teams.
The key to Faulkner’s bowling with the white ball is his intelligence.
He does not possess unsettling speed, sharp bounce or bewildering swing. Instead, he undoes batsmen with his clever variations. Most famously Faulkner has a fantastic change of pace.
His back-of-the-hand slower ball has made a fool of many batsmen, particularly in the latter stages of ODIs when they are looking to play big shots. Yet, Faulkner also has a less celebrated but equally effective off-break style slower ball.
It is by learning to read these changeup deliveries from Faulkner’s hand that the Indian batsmen seem to have mastered coping with the Australian all-rounder. Fortunately, those deliveries continue to mystify batsmen from every other country.
But Faulkner’s success is not built entirely on changes of pace.
He’s also adept at subtle alterations, such as changing his angle on the crease. Quite commonly, when bowling to right handers, you will see him bowl from close to the umpire, targeting the stumps and cramping the batsmen for room.
Then he’ll deliver from a much wider angle on the crease and float one up outside off. The batsman, having previously been allowed no space to free his arms, is suckered into a drive without factoring in the much greater angle across him.
This is how Faulkner dismissed Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez caught behind in the first ODI at Brisbane.
The Tasmanian is a cunning cricketer. This is also what helped him develop a reputation as a fantastic finisher with the blade in ODIs.
It wasn’t just his scorching power which made him effective in this role, but also his calm and calculated demeanour.
Faulkner picked the right times to attack certain bowlers and aim for particular areas of the ground.
Yet as his bowling has improved over the past two years, Faulkner’s impact with the bat has waned significantly.
Since the start of 2015, Faulkner has made only 275 runs at an average of 23, compared to 670 runs at 45 prior to that period.
While he is offering great value with the ball, Australia would dearly love Faulkner to rediscover his dynamism with the bat in time for the upcoming Champions Trophy.