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Four Australian bowlers have exceeded 150 kilometres per hour in the current ODI series against England – and Mitchell Johnson isn’t even playing.
James Pattinson yesterday gave Australian fans huge reason for optimism by bowling quicker than express pacemen Mitchell Starc or Pat Cummins in the third ODI.
In his first international game for 18 months, Pattinson pushed the speed gun up to a frightening 153kmh and operated consistently in the mid-140s.
Cummins hit 153kmh in the second game of the series, while Starc and Nathan Coulter-Nile both have reached 152kmh. Even all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been very sharp at times, bowling at up to 147kmh.
Several of the English batsmen have looked rattled by the Australian pace, most notably opener Alex Hales.
Speed, of course, is not the only attribute a bowler need possess. But it has been a glaring difference between the sides, with English pundits bemoaning the team’s lack of a cutting edge in their attack.
The fact Pattinson took only 0-36 from six overs was far less relevant to Australian cricket than the manner in which he went about his work.
Persistent back injuries have derailed Pattinson’s career and forced him to remodel his action. It was unclear whether he could return to Australian duties possessing the same level of pace which had intimidated batsmen across the world.
As fellow emerging pacemen Starc and Josh Hazlewood cemented their positions in the Test and ODI teams, Pattinson has been trying either to avoid injury or recover from it.
It’s easy to forget that just two years ago, Pattinson was the standout young quick not just in Australia but in the world.
His fine Test record of 51 wickets at an average of 27 is all the more impressive when you consider that his 13 Tests have been played across five different regions – India, England, South Africa, the Caribbean and Australia.
In England in 2013, Pattinson entered the Ashes with injury concerns and promptly hurt his back once more.
When he returned against South Africa eight months later, he bowled with heart and skill to help Australia win the third Test and the series.
However, just like in the 2013 Ashes, he didn’t look the same bowler he had been at his peak.
Both times, Pattinson’s pace was down by 5 to 10kmh, leaving him as a solid but less incisive bowler.
In full flow, swinging the red ball late at 150kmh, the Victorian is a menace. Boasting more control than Starc, he had looked a certainty to spearhead Australia’s Test attack for a decade or so.
That still may be the case. His new, side-on action has been designed to protect his fitness, yet it has not reduced his pace.
Importantly, Australia’s attack lacked a leader in the recent Ashes. Mitchell Johnson has always appeared uncomfortable with such a role, while Starc, too, appears to favour operating in the slipstream of others.
Josh Hazlewood shapes as the rock of the Test attack with his typically faultless accuracy and reliability. Whether he can be a leader is still unclear.
Pattinson, though, was showing leadership qualities from the start of his Test career and seemed to relish being ‘the man’.
During Australia’s disastrous Test tour of India in 2013, he was the team’s spearhead and easily their most threatening bowler, performing with tenacity despite the deadest of dead pitches.
Pattinson was one of the few Australians who showed consistent fight during that 4-0 drubbing. Unlike most of his teammates, he actually enhanced his reputation.
With Coulter-Nile injured, Pattinson may well play the last two ODIs against England. It offers him a perfect opportunity to earn back his place in the Test line-up for the two matches against Bangladesh next month.
Reports suggest Johnson and Hazlewood will be rested from that series. In their absence, Pattinson may be the bowler Australia ask to lead their attack once more.