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Australia’s fast bowling attack will come under criticism over the next 14 months as they have to play at least 20 Test matches. The Test format is one of those formats where the Australian team has achieved a lot of success in recent times. The bowling combination of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood has been unbeatable over the years.
There are no youth anymore; They are over thirty, and according to the law of time, they will gradually outgrow their youth. Before that, the cricket board will have to find such guides who will be able to take the team forward.
Who will replace Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood?
Cricket legend Glenn McGrath is keeping his eyes open on this change. The upcoming Ashes, which will be held in England, will be important for the Baggy Greens. In the last Ashes series held on home ground, Mitchell Starc wreaked havoc and took 31 wickets.
Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood have all been hit by injury issues and fitness issues. Cummins played only once in last season’s Ashes due to a back injury, and Hazlewood was not involved at all.
“Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins are all in their mid-thirties, right? You wonder how long they can go. I look at it from an Australian perspective in Test cricket. The Ashes are coming to England next year and Australia haven’t won an outright Ashes series in England since 2001,” Glenn McGrath said during a conversation at the MRF Academy in Chennai on Monday.
Glenn McGrath mentioned some emerging Australian pacers.
Through their domestic tournaments, many young fast bowlers have moved up the rankings. McGrath mentioned a few names during his brief statement. But most of the emerging bowlers are young and do not have international cricket experience. Therefore, at the moment it is too early to say which new fast bowler will represent the national team in future in place of the pace trio.
“But I think there are opportunities for some of the young guys at the moment. Guys like Spencer Johnson have some real speed, but have they had enough opportunities? I know [Nathan] Alice has been around for a while and [Xavier] Bartlett, they’re next level [in white-ball cricket]“said the former seamer.
“You’ve also got Will Sutherland, Jack Edwards and Brendan Doggett. There’s a lot of youngsters there, but we’ll wait and see if anyone really puts their hand up.”
Glenn McGrath hails raw talent in Sheffield Shield
Glenn McGrath highlighted the importance of the Sheffield Shield, where a group of quality fast bowlers work hard. Liam Hatcher, Cameron Gannon and Nathan McAndrew were among the leading wicket-takers in the 2025–26 season.
“I think a lot of it comes back to Shield cricket. I don’t know his exact statistics in Shield cricket, but state cricket in Australia is quite competitive. South Australia has won consistently, and some of their players have performed well. There will be opportunities there, and we’ll see when they get there,” Glenn McGrath, 56, added.
