Generation next: Australia 'A' squad gives insight into the next generation of Test pacers

The squad for the Australia ‘A’ team that will play two tour matches starting from the 1st of April against New Zealand ‘A” in Christchurch using the Dukes ball was recently announced.

The squad is as follows:
Wes Agar, Xavier Bartlett, Aaron Hardie, Caleb Jewell, Spencer Johnson, Campbell Kellaway, Nathan McSweeney, Joel Paris, Mitch Perry, Jimmy Pierson, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Tim Ward, Teague Wyllie

Australia in the next few years will likely undergo an upheaval of their aging bowling lineup with the likes of Mitchell Starc (aged 33), Josh Hazlewood (aged 32), Scott Boland (aged 33) and Michael Neser (aged 32) in the twilight of their careers.

Test skipper Pat Cummins will also turn 30 in May. With this in mind, a set of promising young fast bowlers have been picked who look set to carry on the mantle of the ‘Big 3’ and their depth options in Scott Boland and Michael Neser.

These quick bowlers included in the Aus ‘A’ squad are Spencer Johnson, Mitch Perry, Xavier Bartlett, and Wes Agar. They will be competing with WA pair Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris who have already featured in Australian Test squads for the spots to replace the incumbent quicks.

Will Sutherland may also be in projected plans for Australia’s likely near future without Starc, Hazlewood, Boland, and Neser, but will be unavailable for Australia ‘A’ as he will be playing for County side Essex where he will get direct experience of English conditions.

As such with the coming twilight of the careers of the majority of Australia’s fast bowlers, this coming ‘A’ tour will prove as a development ground for the Australia ‘A’ pacers to show what they’ve got in the nets against some of Australia’s best batsman and New Zealand’s talent pipeline out in the middle.

Honourable mention – Will Sutherland

Age: 23
First-Class career stats:
Matches: 31 | Wickets: 102 | Best bowling innings: 6-67 |Bowling Average: 24.22 | 5WI: 5 | Runs: 768 | HS: 100 | Batting Average: 20.75

Before I write about the pacers in the Australia ‘A’ squad, I felt I had to first write a little about the most consistent young bowler in the Australian domestic scene Will Sutherland, who will not feature due to having signed a deal with county club Essex.

This Shield’s seasons leading wicket-taker, Sutherland had a season to remember taking 41 wickets at 19.92 with an economy of just 2.64 while also scoring 467 runs that includes a century against New South Wales to have a batting average of 29.18.

His all-around abilities were on full display in the Shield final where he took 5/75 in eventual champions Western Australia’s first innings and scored a valiant 83 off 84 deliveries in Victoria’s second dig. The man known as both ‘The Chief’ and ‘Annabel’s brother’ also notched up his maiden First-Class century scoring 100 against South Australia to rescue Victoria 5/92 to post 310.

He then proceeded to take 4/45 in South Australia’s first innings. Sutherland is a tall bowling all-rounder who can extract swing on even benign surfaces whilst also being able to trouble batters with extra bounce with his pace typically sitting in the mid-130s.

Spencer Johnson

Age: 27
First-Class career stats:
Matches: 3 | Wickets: 16 | Best bowling innings: 7-47 |Bowling Average: 22.06 | 5WI: 2

The South Australian flamethrower has had terrible luck with injuries over recent years but has put his woes past him to set the domestic scene alight this summer.

He first made a name for himself in this year’s BBL where he impressed with his death bowling.

Following that, Johnson managed to make his Shield debut for his native South Australia and has been given a spot in the Australia ‘A’ squad after just three First-Class matches. In his Shield debut against Victoria, he took 6/87 in the second innings.

Spencer Johnson. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

He followed that impressive effort against Queensland where he took 7/47 in the first innings and had match figures of 9/83.

Importantly, for a bowler of such serious velocity, Johnson in his short professional career has shown an ability to bowl a good line and lengths consistently.

With the pair of Lance Morris and Spencer Johnson, Australia could field a right-arm and left-arm bowling combination that are both capable of bowling upwards of 150 kilometres per hour.

Xavier Bartlett

Age: 25
First-Class career stats:
Matches: 17 | Wickets: 58 | Best bowling innings: 5-85 |Bowling Average: 25..72 | 5WI: 1 |

The right-hander hailing from the Gold Coast has been a wonderful third act to the exploits of Michael Neser and Mark Steketee for the maroon state. Bartlett has been tremendous this season in the Shield where he took 23 wickets at an average of 22.00.

In a bowlers shootout against Victoria, Bartlett took 4/32 in the third innings of the match while drying up the run rate with a miserly 2.28 economy. Bartlett also had match figures of 6/112 in a draw against South Australia where he had economy rates of 2.28 and 2.66 in each innings bowled.

Bartlett is a swing bowler who can get the ball to hoop around corners. While slower in pace hovering in the mid-120s to low-mid 130s range, his ability to make the ball talk and play a role as a workhorse who keeps the run rate down can help complement the overall bowling unit.

Mitch Perry

Age: 22
First-Class career stats:
Matches: 25 | Wickets: 43 | Best bowling innings: 5-64 |Bowling Average: 29.41 | 5WI: 1 | Runs: 521 | HS: 75

Apparently, the most surefire way to ensure cricketing success for your son is to name him Mitchell. Mitch Perry has put his hand up to fill Australian cricket’s Mitch/Mitchell requirements with a dominant second half to the Shield season.

The tall quick found himself on the outer of the Victorian team due to an ordinary start to the summer. He won back the favour of his coach, former Test opener Chris Rogers, and hasn’t looked back since. Post-BBL, Perry has taken 22 wickets at 18.81 to bring his season total to 29 wickets with a bowling average of 25.89.

He has also gained the very original nickname of ‘the nighthawk’ by his Victorian teammates for his ability to score runs when promoted up the order near the close of the day’s play.

On such an occasion against Queensland, he put together 75 runs in the second innings at number 4 to post the game’s second-highest score.

Perry is a workhorse who utilises seam movement off the deck and is the quickest of Victoria’s bowlers. Having only played one BBL game, Perry has not featured heavily in games with a speed gun, but likely sits in the mid to high 130s.

Wes Agar

Age: 26
First-Class career stats:
Matches: 22 | Wickets: 73 | Best bowling innings: 5-53 |Bowling Average: 32.39 | 5WI: 2 |

The 2020 Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year, Wes Agar has returned to his very best. In 16 innings, Agar has taken 36 wickets at 27.36 to be South Australia’s leading wicket-taker.

A tall, powerfully-built bowler who is capable of bowling 145+, Wes provides another express option that Australian selectors have historically coveted to take advantage of the pacey decks Aussie decks that overseas batsmen are unaccustomed to.

Wes Agar is one to watch in the Shield. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

His best performance came against Victoria where he shared the opening bowling duties with fellow Australia ‘A’ representative Spencer Johnson to take 5/54 in the first innings. While Agar is inconsistent with his performances between seasons when on song, Agar can be unplayable.

A good ‘A’ tour showing and another strong domestic season or two can see Wes Agar jump closer to the head of the queue for a spot in the Test team.

Keep a close eye on the performances of these youngsters for Australia ‘A’. We might just see them in the Test arena wearing the Baggy Green as key figures of the Australian pace rotation in a few years.