Young quicks James Pattinson and Pat Cummins have shown enough at Test level to suggest they can be superstars. But the physically fragile pair may not exploit their sublime gifts if they are rushed.
The Australian selectors made the right call by overlooking both for the 17-man Test squad for the tours against the West Indies and England announced last week.
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They would have been tempted to include at least one of the pacemen, and many Australian cricket followers have suggested they should have.
However, even though Pattinson was not included in the squad, due to yet another injury, the selectors stated that he would be considered for a late call-up for the Ashes, which starts in July.
The 24-year-old is currently in recovery mode after he hurt his left hamstring while playing for Victoria in the recent Sheffield Shield final.
Pattinson had only just returned to shield cricket after being sidelined with an injury to the same hamstring. His body has betrayed him time and again over his career.
He has been in and out of the game regularly since suffering stress fractures in his back during Australia’s last tour of England in 2013. His recovery from that injury was bumpy and he did not play Tests for eight months.
Pattinson made his return in the third Test against South Africa in March last year and helped Australia secure a rousing series win. But it came at a hefty price as he hurt his back once again.
Pattinson made another comeback this summer and was very carefully managed by Victoria and his Big Bash League franchise the Melbourne Renegades. Yet in the space of three Sheffield Shield matches, during which his workload was lower than usual, he managed to break down twice.
If his body cannot handle a gentle workload in domestic cricket, how would it deal with the stress of bowling 40 to 50 overs a match in back-to-back Ashes Tests?
It would be a hasty decision to try to include him for the Ashes, which are only three months away.
In the last Ashes in England, Pattinson was not fully fit when the series started. He looked a weak imitation of his potent self, and he struggled for impact with his pace down by about 10 kilometres an hour across the two Tests he played before getting injured.
It’s not hard to see why the Australian selectors are enamoured with Pattinson. Fit and in-form he is a ballistic weapon. Capable of swinging the ball late at up to 153kmh, Pattinson is a truly intimidating strike bowler.
After Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson are gone, he could be the leader of Australia’s attack for many years. If, that is, he is handled properly.
Cummins is in the same boat. The manner in which he roughed up South Africa as an 18-year-old on Test debut shocked the cricketing world. It was an extraordinary exhibition of pace, swing, accuracy and guile, of which any paceman would be fiercely proud, let alone a teenager.
But that was three-and-a-half years ago. Since then Cummins has been beset by injuries, a common story for young bowlers who contort their body to allow them to propel the ball at express speeds.
In that time, he has played just two first-class matches. That’s right, two matches since November 2011. The last time he rolled his arm over in anything but a T20 or 50-over match was 20 months ago.
It is inexplicable that his name continually is linked to the Test team when it’s been eons since he even played a shield game for his State.
Until he can string together a solid sequence of first-class matches, and perform well in those contests, Cummins should be off the agenda. His growing body should be left to develop to the point where it can withstand the rigours of long-form cricket.
Australia have two gems in Cummins and Pattinson. Wisely managed they can win dozens of games for their country. But rush them and we could witness a terrible waste of talent.
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