Ashes 2019: James Pattinson set to trump Mitchell Starc for new-ball role in first Test
Resurgent fast bowler James Pattinson is firming for a spot in the first Ashes Test, possibly at the expense of Mitchell Starc, after an impressive hitout in the intra-squad clash.
Resurgent fast bowler James Pattinson is firming for a spot in the starting side for the first Ashes Test, possibly at the expense of Mitchell Starc, who is still adapting to red-ball cricket after five months of one-day games.
Pattinson, and Pat Cummins, were standouts in the intra-squad match in Southampton, coming after the Victorian snared 7-77 for Australia A earlier this month.
Test captain Tim Paine said Pattinson, who played the last of his 17 Tests in New Zealand in 2016, should be getting excited about “what might be ahead of him in the next week or so”.
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After taking a record 27 wickets at the World Cup, Starc didn’t take a wicket at Southampton until day three. He also required scans on his knee after reporting soreness.
The left-armer, who took 10 wickets and was man-of-the-match in his last Test against Sri Lanka in February, was given the all-clear and looks fit for the first Ashes Test.
But Paine conceded he may need more time to adjust to the demands of Test bowling after a long stint bowling with a white ball.
“He is getting better and better every time and we know what Starcy can do when he is on fire and on song like we saw in some of the World Cup games, he can get any batter out in the world,” Paine said.
“He’s coming off a lot of white-ball cricket so Starcy takes a little bit of time to adjust back up with his lengths and stuff but he’ll be working hard next week again, when he’s on he will be playing a huge role in these Ashes.”
Paine said Josh Hazlewood, who hasn’t played for Australia since the India Test series last summer, was also getting “better every day”.
But the praise was high for Pattinson, who set the Ashes as his only goal when he had spinal surgery in 2017, and could now take the new ball at Edgbaston.
“James Pattinson was outstanding again, he has been for the whole A-tour,” Paine said.
“But he took it up a gear out in this game, particularly in that second innings. He’s starting to get really excited about what might be ahead of him in the next week or so.”
Survival test puts Aussies in good stead for Ashes
Test captain Tim Paine let out a loud roar of frustration when he chopped the ball on to his stumps.
It was his third hit at Southampton as four batsmen, including Usman Khawaja, were sent out for extra practice on the Rose Bowl wicket after Australia’s unprecedented intra-squad clash finished a day-and-a-half early.
The finish came quickly because only two batsmen, David Warner (58) then Cameron Bancroft (93 not out), passed 50.
Several of the other batsmen headed to Birmingham for next week’s first Ashes Test didn’t get 20 combined in their two efforts, including Steve Smith, who made nine and eight.
Travis Head, likely to bat at No.5 at Edgbaston, was out for one, then zero, and sent back to the middle by coach Justin Langer to face a flurry of deliveries from the Aussie bowlers on a wicket none of them wanted to bat on in the first place.
On paper it looked a disaster for Australia’s batsmen, a confidence-killer a week out from the first Test. More so as during the game several of them, including plenty of Test incumbents, were in the dark about their Ashes standing. Not nervous, but anxious.
Paine, however, said when survival became the mandate, and some batsmen did face plenty of balls, it turned in to better practice than a hitout on a flat deck before next Thursday’s Ashes opener.
“Yeah, it was hard work for the batters,” Paine said. “I know the scores weren’t flattering but the batters stuck at it really well, gusted it out on something that was at times bordering on dangerous. So we were happy with how the batters applied themselves.
“It was more about the hitout, having a really competitive game of cricket so we can get to Edgbaston next week having already had a really hard, difficult hitout under our belts that will make the adjustment to Test intensity a little bit easier for us.”
Paine made two in the first innings, then was eight not out second time around, hitting the winning runs for the Hick XII, and robbing Bancroft of the chance for a century.
Runs from the captain could be crucial this series, with uncertainty over who bats at No.6, and just one half century in nine Tests as captain.
“Yeah, I would have liked to have been chasing a few more or get a little bit longer there at the end,’ he said. “But it is what it is and I’ve had a hit for an hour-and-a-half after the game, so I’m good to go. I’ve played cricket for a long time so I know what I need to do to get ready and I’m comfortable going into the first Test.”
The Ashes squad spent one final night together in Southampton on Friday before heading by bus to Birmingham on Saturday.
Originally published as Ashes 2019: James Pattinson set to trump Mitchell Starc for new-ball role in first Test
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