Australian fast bowler Stella Campbell has been called up for the one-off Test against England

A star teenage fast bowler and a miraculous injury recorvey could boost Australia for the one-off Test against England this week.

Stella Campbell took her first Test wicket against India last Octobe (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Teenage fast bowler Stella Campbell was “unplayable” last time she played in Canberra and her elevation to the squad for the injured Tayla Vlaeminck looms as a major plus for the Australians ahead of the one-off Test against England starting on Thursday.

Star batter Beth Mooney is also firming to make a stunning return just a week after surgery to repair her broken jaw after powering through a net session in Canberra on Tuesday.

The shock loss of star fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck has opened the door for 19-year-old Campbell who made her Test debut against India last summer but missed the original Ashes squad.

That was despite the NSW tearaway demolishing the Canberra Comets in a WNCL one-day game at Manuka Oval, site of the Test match, retuning stunning figures of 7-25 in that game.

Australian all-rounder Ash Gardner also played in that game on January 6 and said a return to Canberra for the Test match for Campbell was “exciting”.

“It’s going to be pretty interesting to see what wicket we have for the first day of the Test match,” Gardner said on Tuesday morning.

“When we played the ACT down here for New South Wales, Stella was almost unplayable and to have her back into the Test squad is really exciting.

“The confidence that she can take out of that match going into this match ... it’s really exciting to be on her team. Hopefully, if she does play, she can replicate that.”

Last week Australian coach Matthew Mott indicated he was keep to partner Vlaeminck and 18-year-old quick Darcie Brown in the same XI, with star swing bowlers Megan Schutt also back after missing the Test against India.

Campbell’s call-up would indicate she’s going to play, given the Australians two teenagers to launch the fast bowling assault on England.

Moooooooooney 😎🦾 pic.twitter.com/mOzl42uIef

— Australian Women's Cricket Team 🏏 (@AusWomenCricket) January 25, 2022

“Stella bowled well for us in the Test match against India and provides another fast-bowling option now with Tayla being injured,” national selector Shawn Flegler said.

“We will continue to assess conditions over the next couple of days before finalising the team.”

Mooney looks ready to partner Alyssa Healy at the top of the order despite breaking her jaw in a net session in Adelaide last Monday, which required an operation to repair it.

Gardner said the one thing the Australians focused on after the drawn Test against India, which was also impacted by weather, was finding ways to take the 20 wickets needed to win.

With no exposure to long-form cricket outside of Test matches for the women’s team, Gardiner said all the bowlers were still learning the nuances of how to get through a match.

Ash Gardner has asked Test spinner Nathan Lyon for advice ahead of this week’s clash with England (Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images)

She had even spoken to Test star Nathan Lyon for tips as a spinner, but said the quality of bowlers now in the squad, despite the loss of Vlaeminck, was good enough to take those wickets.

“You’ve got to play the bowlers and batters who are going to be match winners and maybe in the past we haven’t had bowlers who were attacking or trying to bowl attacking lines for as long as possible,” she said.

“Not playing a lot of test cricket it’s hard to know how to go in to it. all the chats we have had so far are about taking those 20 wickets.

“We’re going for the result. That Indian match didn’t go how we would have liked.

“We are looking to win the game, it’s going to be hard to get a result in four days but with the line-up we do have there are players there that can take 20 wickets.”

Originally published as Australian fast bowler Stella Campbell has been called up for the one-off Test against England