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With Australia playing only one more Test before the Ashes, there are now doubts over the spots of veteran quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood due to a stunning debut by young paceman Jhye Richardson.
The 22-year-old Richardson operated with a rare mix of accuracy, swing and frugality as he took 5-45 from 27 overs. The first-gamer not only bowled in a manner perfectly suited to English conditions but also produced a performance better than any seen from Starc or Hazlewood since the first Test in South Africa 11 months ago.
That experienced pair were outstanding during the home Ashes last summer, driving Australia to a 4-0 thrashing of England. But neither bowler has been anywhere near their peak since then, with Starc averaging 47 in his last nine Tests and Hazlewood averaging 37 in his last seven Tests.
Meanwhile, Pat Cummins has run amok, being Australia’s best bowler in the Test series against SA and India, and then slaughtering Sri Lanka with match figures of 10-62 as the hosts won by an innings in Brisbane yesterday.
Cummins and off-spinner Nathan Lyon should be the only two Aussie bowlers assured of their places in the starting line-up for the first Ashes Test from August 1.
That starting date for the Ashes is very significant in terms of considering potential pace selections in that it is 24 days later than when the 2015 Ashes commenced. This means the Ashes will take place much later in the English season when the weather typically gets colder and wetter, and in turn, the pitches are more seam-friendly.
Starc, in particular, has rarely made the most of green seaming conditions in his career – his strength is his ability to remain threatening on dull pitches thanks to his height and searing pace.
Hazlewood, with his greater accuracy, is much better suited to exploiting juicy pitches, on which accuracy is more important than pace or bounce. Australia must surely have learned this lesson in the last Ashes when express bowlers Starc and Mitchell Johnson were ineffective on the three seaming pitches served up, while the slower and more precise English pacemen dominated.
When finally in the last Test Australia picked an English-style seamer in Peter Siddle he was easily their best bowler, taking 6-67 for the match while going at just 1.8 runs per over.
With Cummins capable of acting as their intimidating strike bowler in the Ashes, Australia’s attack would then be best balanced by picking one swing bowler and one accurate seam bowler.
(AAP Image/Julian Smith)
The seam bowler position should be contested between Hazlewood and Siddle, who has massive experience in English conditions having taken 146 wickets at 26 in first-class cricket in the UK. Siddle was rampant in English county cricket just six months ago, grabbing 37 wickets at 16.
Then the swing bowler spot would be a battle between Starc, Richardson and Chris Tremain. I have argued for some time now that Starc is not suited to seaming pitches in England due to his inaccuracy and that he should not be picked in such conditions.
Richardson, however, is the first genuine swing bowler Australia have had in a long time, capable of curving the new and old ball in both directions. Even Ryan Harris, Australia’s best swing bowler of the past decade, did not have this same ability.
Richardson swung the pink Kookaburra ball prodigiously throughout his debut yet still managed to maintain an impeccable line and length, sending down ten maidens among his 27 overs. He also earned pronounced seam movement for the same reason he was getting sharp swerve – consistently great seam position.
Richardson has also had the red Kookaburra ball bending like a banana in the Sheffield Shield. That suggests he could be even more lethal with the English Dukes, which move much more than the Kookaburra.
Granted, Richardson is just one Test into his career. There are no guarantees he will perform as well in his second Test against Sri Lanka in Canberra this week. But if he does, and Starc continues to labour, then Richardson should become the front runner to play as Australia’s specialist swing bowler in the Ashes.