Bird should play first Test against South Africa

The ODI whitewash in South Africa highlighted how badly Australia’s pace stocks had been hit by injuries. This also means Australia have limited pace options for the upcoming Tests against South Africa.

The first Test against the Proteas in Perth starts in just over two weeks’ time and the likes of James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, James Faulkner, Pat Cummins and Nathan Coulter-Nile all will not be considered for selection.

This leaves Jackson Bird as the quick most likely to partner Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

That may not be the best balanced attack, however, if the WACA pitch is again unresponsive, as it was last year. In such conditions, variety would be crucial, and in Hazlewood, Bird and Mitchell Marsh Australia would have three tall right armers who bowl in a similar style at a similar pace.

It is on flatter pitches that Australia love for their third pacemen to offer something different to Starc and Hazlewood. That appeared to be a key reason the selectors last summer rushed James Pattinson back into the Test team.

The Victorian offers a point of difference to Hazlewood with his extra pace, attacking approach, and his ability to rattle batsmen with searing short balls.

Cummins and Coulter-Nile have similar attributes. But Coulter-Nile and Pattinson are out injured, while Cummins is only just returning from yet another injury layoff.

There is no other bowler in State ranks who operates with the same level of pace and penetration as that trio. Tasmania’s Andrew Fekete is in that mould and was included in Australia’s Test squad for last year’s tour of Bangladesh, before it was cancelled due to security concerns.

But Fekete has since fallen back into the pack. A form slump saw him dropped from the Tasmanian Shield side for a few games midway through last season. Just as importantly, he is yet to make an appearance for the Tigers in the ongoing domestic One Day Cup, denying him a chance to remind the selectors of his talents.

Bird’s main competitors for a spot in the Test XI at Perth would appear to be the four pacemen who struggled in the ODIs in South Africa. Joe Mennie (51 wickets at 21) and Daniel Worrall (44 at 26) were the two leading wicket takers in last year’s Shield competition, while Tremain (36 at 21) and Boland (33 at 21) also had stellar Shield campaigns.

I rate Western Australian left armers Jason Behrendorff and Joel Paris as better Test prospects than any of that quartet. Unfortunately Paris is sidelined and Behrendorff is only fresh back from an injury layoff.

Mennie and Tremain appear better suited to Test cricket than do Worrall or Boland. Like Hazlewood and Bird, Mennie is not an eye catching seamer, rather one who trades on his accuracy and ability to build pressure. The 27-year-old from South Australia does not move the ball significantly through the air or off the seam.

He just lands on a good length on or slightly outside off stump over and over until the batsman makes a mistake. Of current Australian bowlers he is most similar in style to Peter Siddle, who likely will come into Test contention later in the summer, having already ruled himself out of the Perth Test.

Tremain, meanwhile, is a more attacking bowler than Mennie. The 25-year-old Victorian seeks wickets as a priority, targeting the stumps more often than Mennie and often achieving some nice out swing. Of the top 20 wicket takers in last summer’s Shield, only Paris (36.4) had a better strike rate than Tremain’s 38.

He had a shocking start to his debut ODI series in South Africa, taking 2-143 from 20 overs across the first two matches. Tremain rebounded in his final two games with hauls of 3-64 and 2-48. That left him with seven wickets at 36 from four matches, a reasonable return in a series where South Africa’s batsmen dominated.

Boland (five wickets at 34), Mennie (three wickets at 44) and Worrall (0-128) did little to enhance their Test prospects.

With only one round of the Sheffield Shield to be played before the Tests, the Australian selectors will be picking the third Test paceman based largely off white ball form. Bird’s performances for Tasmania in the one dayers have been underwhelming so far.

That should be of little concern to the selectors, however, as Bird always has been a far better bowler with the red ball. He deserves the chance to partner Hazlewood and Starc at Perth, having performed tidily during his brief Test career, with 21 wickets at 25 from five Tests.

Were any of Pattinson, Cummins or Coulter-Nile fit and in form Bird likely would be overlooked.

Injuries may well have paved the way for Bird to stake a claim in the Test XI at the start of a packed home summer.(Click to Tweet)