Australia will ‘definitely’ implement rotation policy during Ashes series

Retired speedster James Pattinson believes Australia will “definitely” implement the controversial rotation policy during the Ashes.

Victorian pace bowler James Pattinson believes Australia will “definitely” implement a rotation policy for its pace bowlers during the upcoming Ashes series.

Over the past few years, national selectors have largely avoided switching out Australia’s pace bowlers, trusting that speedsters Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins will last an entire series without breaking down.

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However, the Australian pace attack was controversially rotated throughout the 2019 Ashes with great success – Tim Paine’s side retained the urn on foreign soil for the first time in 18 years.

But after India defeated Australia for a second time in three years last summer, cricket pundits started questioning whether Justin Langer should reintroduce the much-debated selection policy.

Starc, Hazelwood and Cummins played all four Tests in the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and each showed signs of fatigue during the unforgettable series finale at the Gabba.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Pattinson confirmed there had been “discussions” around how Australia could effectively rotate its pace bowlers throughout the Ashes.

“There were definitely already discussions around the bowlers not going to be able to play all five Test matches,” he said.

“It’s pretty tight fixturing and the wickets over here are obviously really hard.

“I spoke to (Stuart Broad) last Ashes. I caught up with him when he was here, and after bowling at the (MCG) he said it’s the hardest wicket he’s ever bowled on. He couldn’t feel his shins.

“That’s what realistically it is over in Australia. The wickets are hard, and it takes its toll on the body. I definitely think that there will be some sort of rotation throughout.

“I think that’ll be something the staff and coaches try and implement.”

James Pattinson is currently representing Victoria in the Sheffield Shield. Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images

Last month, Pattinson announced his shock decision to retire from international cricket aged 31.

His decision has opened the door for uncapped bowlers Sean Abbott, Mark Steketee or Michael Neser to potentially make their Test debut this summer.

England rotated its injury-prone pace attack throughout a jam-packed 2021 season, and veteran seamer Stuart Broad believes it would be “unrealistic” to expect the speedsters to play all five Ashes Tests.

“In Australia, you want to be fresh,” he told Fox Cricket on Tuesday.

“You have to hit that pitch very hard. You need to be buzzing every time you get that ball in your hands.”

Speaking to reporters earlier this year, former chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns conceded the rotation policy could have been beneficial during last summer’s Test series against India.

“In hindsight, that’s possibly something that could have been done,” Hohns said.

“Prior to finalising any team, we check with medical people and even check with our players sometimes just to find out how they are doing.

“The games were pretty tight and close together, maybe we have to be a little more mindful of that going forward. However, in this instance, all the bowlers had recovered sufficiently for the medicos to give them the thumbs up.

“We considered those three fast bowlers, who had performed very well over a long period of time, were the best ones for the job. Once we’d checked to make sure they’d recovered sufficiently we thought it was the best attack.”

The first Test between Australia and England commences at the Gabba on Wednesday, December 8.