Australian fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, the pace bowling duo, were seen in the nets in Sydney as the focus turned to the second Ashes Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Although Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland gave a tough challenge to the English batsmen in Perth, it was still clear that they missed Cummins and Hazlewood playing with the red ball. When there is a trio of Mitchell Starc along with Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, the opposition is often intimidated by their presence.
Australia have taken an early lead in the series and will head to Brisbane for the day-night game. Mitchell Starc has once again made an excellent record with the pink ball and if Josh Hazlewood returns, Australia can be overwhelmed again.
Josh Hazlewood returns to the nets after injury
Some positive signs for Australia, as premium fast bowler Josh Hazlewood returned to the nets on Tuesday after being ruled out with a hamstring injury. He was seen training with his injured captain at Cricket Central in Sydney.
Even Andrew McDonald was confident that Josh Hazlewood would be available later in the Ashes and is already on the road to recovery.
“I know he will be available at some point during the series,” he said. The Australian head coach confirmed, “We’ve got to go through that initial rehab to where he can be involved in the series, but we expect him to play some part in the series.”
Pat Cummins was seen bowling with the pink ball
Meanwhile, Australian captain Pat Cummins was recently seen with the pink ball, suggesting he may be preparing for the D&N Test at the Gabba in Brisbane. This may enable his comeback after injury.
Pat Cummins has made some surprising progress behind the nets since he looked impressive in Perth, and the selectors will have to be absolutely confident that he can manage the workload required for the Test match. However, early indications indicate that the matches of this series will not be able to run for its entire duration of 5 days.
“It looked like a player was nearing the completion of his rehabilitation,” McDonald said. The Australian head coach said, “The intensity was there, the ball speed was there. There’s a lot of positives, but now it’s really creating flexibility within the soft tissue and making sure we’re not hurting him in terms of turning it too fast.”
Australia’s pace reinforcement options during the Ashes
The Ashes Test matches are a long way off till the Adelaide Test. Brisbane has elements of day and night thrown into the mix. Keeping in mind the injured fast bowlers, Xavier Bartlett has been included in place of the players.
Michael Neser was an additional fast bowler in Perth in the absence of Josh Hazlewood and Cummins. Bartlett has already impressed in ODIs and T20Is and is likely to be in line for the longest format of the game. The selectors have also spoken to Jhye Richardson, who could be an option after returning from shoulder surgery.
Richardson bowled 2 overs in the Australia A vs England Lions game at Lilac Hill, Perth. “This game for me was about physical preparation and making sure we can be successful in it,” Richardson told reporters after the CA XI tour.
“It’s a good hit, it’s the most overs I’ve bowled in a while and it’s all part of the process of getting ready for four- and five-day cricket,” the Australian cricketer said.
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