Ashes selection news: Contender Jhye Richardson could be locked out of Perth Test

Pressure on Western Australia to “open up’’ is coming from all angles as two of its best young cricket stars are poised to earn an Ashes call up.

Pressure on Western Australia to “open up’’ is coming from all angles as two of its best young stars surge into Ashes contention.

Exceptional WA fast bowler Jhye Richardson is poised to return to the Test arena this summer after rousing form (16 wickets at 12) in the early rounds of the Sheffield Shield competition.

His revival comes as the fate of the Perth Test took an unexpected positive twist after Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Sunday he sensed WA could open its boarders to interstate visitors in time for the January 14 Ashes Test.

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Many were saying seeing will be believing but such a move would ensure Perth retained the Test which remains in doubt due to players’ reluctance to go into hard quarantine which is a perquisite for visitors from Covid hot spots like Sydney, host of the fourth Test.

With Australia set to rotate its fast men throughout the series, Fremantle product Richardson is poised to added to the two Tests he played against Sri Lanka three years ago before shoulder injuries curtailed his progress.

Richardson is likely to be no further back than 12th man in the first Test of the summer from December 8 at the Gabba.

Jhye Richardson is in contention to return to the Test side. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty

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His match haul of 8-61 in the just completed Sheffield Shield match against Queensland impressed Bulls captain Usman Khawaja as he heads a hungry pack of fringe-dwellers including Mark Steketee, Scott Boland and Sean Abbott.

“He bowled beautifully this game,” Khawaja said of Richardson, whose skiddy pace offers a contrast to the tall timber of the rest of the attack.

“He’s got excellent skills. I’m a big Jhye Richardson fan. He’s been doing it for a long period of time and it’s nice to see him fit and healthy.”

Emerging batsman Josh Philippe won’t start the summer at the Gabba but could be in contention for a middle order berth by the fifth Test in Perth if he can build on his classy century he managed last week at the Gabba under the eye of selection chairman George Bailey.

Pat Cummins (L) with Jhye Richardson. Picture: Phil Hillyard

While Marcus Harris has been all but guaranteed the vacant opening spot, Australia is yet to make up its mind about a middle order berth as it assesses the form of a large group of players including Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Philippe, Mitchell Marsh and Nic Maddinson.

Khawaja’s heavy duty batting under difficult conditions in the early Shield rounds would have caught the selectors’ attention but it remains an open discussion.

If the Gabba wicket is green and conditions are grim overhead then Australia might well be happy to have Khawaja’s experience against the probing new ball threat of Jimmy Anderson and perhaps Stuart Broad.

The Ashes is likely to feature an absorbing, decisive game of selection chess with both side set to rotate their quicks.

England’s 39-year-old master of swing Anderson said on Fox Sports’ Road To The Ashes podcast he is likely to play three of the five Tests with one certain to be the day-night Test in Adelaide where he rattled Australia under lights last tour.

Australia’s lone regret, selection wise, from last summer’s shock series loss to India was that Australia did not freshen up its pace attack throughout the series. It accepted it would need to do so in this five-Test summer.

The Perth Test, scheduled for January 14-18, is under a dark cloud due to the state’s rigid quarantine laws.

It has been speculated the West Australian government, if it fails to open its borders, will offer players the chance to play in a bubble but players from both teams would have issues with that.

England was most emphatic in its marathon tour discussions with Australia that, after an initial quarantine period, it would not be entering a player bubble which required players to return to their rooms in isolation after playing.

The fate of the Test has landed in the laps of players from both teams despite Cricket Australia remaining confident it will be staged in Perth.

Bizarre proposal to save Perth Test

- Ben Horne and Brett Stubbs

Perth’s desperation to host the fifth Ashes Test could extend to an extraordinary proposal to immediately change the ball whenever it’s hit for six.

Western Australia is confident the Test will be officially signed off on as early as next week under a revamped five-day quarantine proposal allowing players from England and Australia to train and play during that time frame.

However, a key part of the proposal would dictate that players would not be able to have any contact with fans, which according to reports in the West Australian newspaper means balls hit into the crowd for six may have to be replaced.

Perth have proposed to immediately change the ball whenever it’s hit for six. Pictures: Getty Images

As well as giving fans the precious souvenir experience normally reserved for the home run world of Major League Baseball, replacing the ball would be a major deviation from the fabric of Test cricket, which holds the ball and its condition as sacrosanct.

Western Australia Cricket officials said they were completely unaware of any proposal to change the ball after a six, and stressed it had not come up in any of their discussions.

However, when quizzed about the proposed protocols involving the ball and spectators, a spokesperson for the West Australian Government said safety is paramount.

“The State Government is confident an Ashes Test can be played safely in Perth, based on our health advice and under our quarantine and testing protocols, just like the AFL Grand Final was,” said the spokesperson.

“We expect a final decision will be made very soon.

“The health of Western Australians will always be the priority. We’ve always followed the health advice and that has kept us safe.

“WA Police and WA Health continue to work with WA Cricket and Cricket Australia on plans that are safe for players, fans and the WA community.”

England have begun training on the Gold Coast. Picture: Cricket Australia

At one point during the 2021 AFL season, South Australian health officials were mandating that footballs kicked into the crowd were disinfected before being re-entered into the field of play.

It’s understood no such arrangement was required for the AFL Grand Final in Perth.

However, in last year’s Big Bash League competition umpires gave the ball a disinfectant wipe after sixes were hit and players who retrieved the ball would sanitise their hands.

The International Cricket Council changed the rules at the start of the pandemic to ban players from using saliva to shine the ball – a major frustration for bowlers trying to swing it.

If the proposal went ahead, match officials might be required to bring out a box of balls to replace the one hit into the crowd by a David Warner or Ben Stokes six.

Perth successfully hosted the AFL Grand Final. Picture: Getty Images

Despite a late push from Tasmania to host the Test if WA was ruled out, there is confidence in Western Australia cricket that the Perth Test could be locked in as early as next week. That follows the confirmation of protocols that would allow England and Australian players to move around their resorts when not at Optus Stadium.

Cricket Australia shares their optimism and have always maintained the Test could take place in Perth, however, the protocols are yet to be signed off on by the touring England team who may be hesitant about re-entering a bubble following the fears they held about the series.

Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley and Chairman Richard Freudenstein are in Dubai for ICC meetings and may discuss the Perth Test protocols with ECB counterparts.

Broadcasters Channel 7 and Fox Cricket would also need to be consulted about proposed protocols which would affect their ability to broadcast the matches.

Under the proposal put forward in the West Australian, the Test may be delayed a day to January 15 to allow a five-day quarantine to be served before the match starts, and then a further two days once the Test is underway.

The seven day total would bring the restrictions into line with the seven days served by AFL teams before the Grand Final.

Boycott Perth: BBL veteran hits out at WA premier

Stephen O’Keefe has taken a brazen swipe at WA Premier Mark McGowan and made it clear he’d rather the Big Bash boycott Perth this summer.

Cricket Australia is still trying to work out whether it can organise exemptions to allow BBL matches to take place in Perth this summer, given WA’s strict border shut-out of other states.

The Sixers are currently scheduled to make the flight west on January 6, but Australian Test star O’Keefe has called on BBL administrators to cut Perth out of the fixture and play the competition in the cities prepared to throw out the welcome mat.

O’Keefe set the cat among the pigeons on Thursday by quipping: “I don’t like Mark McGowan … I don’t want to go there,” as the Sixers pushed for a sold out BBL season opener in open and free Sydney on December 5.

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Stephen O'Keefe has set a cat among the pigeons. Picture: Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images

“I hope not. I do not want to go to Perth. I don’t like Mark McGowan, I hate playing at Optus, we never do well, so I’m thinking maybe we just give Perth the two points and just stay at home and enjoy the weekend at home. I hate that plane flight,” said O’Keefe at the SCG on Thursday.

“We’ll leave that up to the Big Bash people, but how about if Perth wants to come they can come to Sydney? We’ll happily have anyone from Perth, I’m not sure Mark McGowan thinks the same.

“Personally, I’m happy to give the points to Perth, they can have it. I don’t want to go there.

“He doesn’t want us there.”

There were matches played in Perth last summer despite the lockdown, but O’Keefe has questioned whether it’s worth putting players through the bubble pain.

“Last year they did really, really well Perth in allowing us in. But you’re police escort all the way off the plane to your hotel, you had to stay on the same hotel floor, you played the game and then you’re straight back after,” he said.

“It was uncomfortable … I’m certainly not complaining because it’s tough for everyone but if we could avoid that that would be amazing.

“Like I said I’ve got no interest in going over to Optus stadium and playing there.”

O’Keefe said players quickly became fatigued by bubble conditions last summer, and said he was relishing the prospect of less restrictions this season as more and more states around the country start to open up.

At this stage, all states other than Western Australia are planning to open their borders before Christmas, meaning WA is the outlier, refusing to open up until late January at the earliest.

The Tasmanian Government has already launched a bold bid to take hosting rights for the fifth Ashes Test away from Perth. But Western Australia chief executive Christina Matthews hit back and declared her confidence that Perth will hold onto its Test.

O’Keefe is hoping the Sydney Sixers can sell out their BBL season opener against the Melbourne Stars at the SCG on December 5.

It will be the first sporting event in Sydney since the lockdown where a full capacity crowd can be accommodated, with tickets going on sale today at 3pm.

Originally published as Ashes selection news: Contender Jhye Richardson could be locked out of Perth Test