Former Australian captain Steve Waugh says it’s inevitable Australia will have to rotate its fast bowlers during this summer’s Ashes series.
Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins played all four Tests against India last summer, with Cummins getting through 162 overs for the series, while Hazlewood bowled 144 and Starc 137.
With Nathan Lyon having little impact (nine wickets at 55) the responsibility fell on the shoulders of the fast bowlers, and it showed in Sydney and Brisbane, with India surviving 131 overs in the fourth innings at the SCG for a draw, followed by a series-winning run chase of 7-329 at the Gabba.
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Australia has named five fast bowlers in the squad for this summer’s first two Tests, with Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins joined by Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser, while Cameron Green will once again be expected to provide some overs from the all-rounder’s spot at number six.
Already there’s speculation that Richardson could play at the Gabba, a ground where he took eight wickets in a player of the match performance for Western Australia against Queensland last week.
With five Tests crammed into 42 days, keeping the bowlers on the park will be crucial.
“For me, Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins are the first choice,” Waugh told Wide World of Sports.
“But there’s five Tests in a very short space of time, so I don’t expect those guys to play every match, that’s probably asking for trouble.
“The backup guys will be required, and for me that’s Neser, Richardson and Abbott, so there’s some good options there for the selectors to look at.”
Speaking at the opening of his Spirit of Cricket exhibition in Sydney, Waugh said England’s game plan will be to wear down the Australian fast bowlers, as India did so successfully last summer.
During the 2019 Ashes Australia employed a rotation policy, with Cummins the only fast-bowler to play all five matches.
Cummins has also flagged the possibility that policy will be used again this summer, but stressed that he’s again keen to play all five matches if possible.
“It’s probably too early to tell, I think when someone’s rested there’s usually more to it than purely workload. There’s always niggles and small little injuries that we’re dealing with after every single Test match,” he said.
“The great thing is we’ve got a huge stable of fast bowlers so I don’t think it’ll be a huge issue if someone’s not able to get up for a Test or someone’s just red-lining a little bit.
“I’d be surprised if the same four bowlers were used for all five Tests, that’s pretty rare especially in a five Test match summer. But I certainly won’t be putting my hand up to be rested unless I’ve got something going on.”
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