The Australian Test selectors must have been watching Top Gun recently because they suddenly have a preoccupation with a need for speed.
Excited by one spell of bowling that tipped the speed gun over 150km/hr in the ODI series against South Africa, the selectors are ready to rush New South Wales paceman Pat Cummins into a premature Test debut against the Proteas tomorrow.
The teenager is set to become the 423rd to receiving baggy green at the expense of Peter Siddle and ahead of state teammate Trent Copeland, who has already proven himself at international level.
Copeland has 99 first class wickets at an average of just 23. In the Tests in Sri Lanka, he was the perfect foil for the more attacking and less economical Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson, conceding just 2.10 runs for the series, as his accurate medium pace proved difficult to score off on the dead wickets of the sub-continent.
In contrast, Cummins has only taken nine wickets form his three first class games at an average of over 40.
But while Cummings can consistently bowl plus 140km/hr, Copeland is never going to shake off the fact that he bowls in the mid 120s.
History shows that the selectors’ concern about Copeland’s pace is unjustified. A similarly built Glenn McGrath, holds the Australian record of 563 wickets despite being well below express.
And fellow, tall medium-pacer Stuart Clarke decimated the Proteas in 2006, taking 20 wickets at just 15 in his debut series.
Copeland has other advantages over Cummins. As well as a height advantage giving him extra bounce, Copeland’s years working his way up the ladder of grade cricket, has allowed him to learn the subtleties of taking wickets.
He is able to vary his pace and move the ball both ways off the seam and has the ability to adjust his bowling in difficult situations.
Cummins, while he has the ability to swing the ball both ways, is yet to learn how to control his length and accuracy.
Also adding to the risk of playing the eighteen-year old, is his lack of recent, long form cricket, having not been picked to play in the tour game against South Africa A prior to the first Test. His last first-class game was last March’s Sheffield Shield final.
With the merry-go-round, perform or perish policy of the selectors in recent times, an unsuccessful early debut for Cummins, could see him quickly thrown on the rubbish heap of discarded Test players, lost in the wilderness.
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