Cricket World Cup: Australia’s bowlers rested, Stoinis proves his fitness

None of Australia’s frontline bowlers were in action during a nets session less than 48 hours prior to the crucial World Cup match against South Africa. DANIEL CHERNY reveals why.

Australia’s delicate workload management plan for this World Cup was laid bare under the Lucknow lights on Tuesday night as none of the Aussies’ five frontline bowling options showed their faces in the nets.

While Marcus Stoinis reinforced his readiness to play by dashing quick singles and then bowling an imposing spell, none of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa or Glenn Maxwell were anywhere to be seen as Australia went through its paces less than 48 hours from a suddenly crunch match against South Africa.

The pacemen instead spent time in the stadium’s gym.

With Australia having chosen to include Marnus Labuschagne in its touring party at the expense of the injured Ashton Agar, the Aussies have limited options if they choose to rotate their bowlers given squads for the tournament are capped at 15.

Zampa and Cummins were both below their best in the defeat to India in Chennai on Sunday but the need to keep the bowlers fresh appears to be outweighing a desire to tinker with skills, specifically in dew-laden conditions in which the Aussies struggled against the hosts.

Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, Zampa and Maxwell combined for 39.2 of the 41.2 overs bowled against India. Zampa had been dealing with soreness in the lead-up to the tournament, Maxwell is being nursed through the campaign as he deals with the lingering effects of a leg break from last year, while the three mainstay pacemen are all in their 30s and have extensive injury histories.

Marcus Stoinis had a solid fitness test during an Australian training session at the BRSABVE Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, India. Picture: Getty Images

The team’s nine round robin matches fall within a five-week period.

While Australia has left the door ajar to field an XI including all three of seaming all-rounders Stoinis, Cameron Green and Mitch Marsh, the expectation from sources around the team is that Stoinis will return at the expense of Green, who made a limp eight and sent down two wicketless overs against India.

Green and Marsh joined Stoinis in bowling on Tuesday night, while spare quick Sean Abbott impressed with the white ball. Reserve spinner Tanveer Sangha, who is not part of the 15-man squad, also bowled.

But much of the work was done by local net bowlers and side-arm throwdowns from assistant coaches Michael Di Venuto, Andre Borovec and Daniel Vettori.

By contrast, Proteas pace quartet Kagiso Rabada, Gerald Coetzee, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen all bowled in the nets on Tuesday afternoon, albeit they’d had an extra day’s recovery time since South Africa’s win over Sri Lanka in Delhi on Saturday.

Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, David Warner and the under-fire Alex Carey joined the all-rounders in batting.

Marnus Labuschagne bats during an Australian training session at the BRSABVE Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, India. Picture: Getty Images

Warner was seeing them well, almost too well, with one lusty blow coming dangerously close to the head of a team staffer, who fortunately emerged unscathed.

Australia is due to be in Lucknow for more than a week, with a match against the Proteas next Monday following the date with South Africa. It is the Aussies’ longest stint in the same city, and one which has the potential to make or break the side’s tilt for a sixth 50-over World Cup crown.

While the Aussies had a sloppy night in the field on Sunday – underscored by Marsh’s costly drop of Virat Kohli – Maxwell said on Tuesday that fielding was not a particular concern.

“We haven‘t sat down and chatted as a group but I’d say that mistakes will be made. I didn’t see too many, obviously the drop catch was one which can happen. I think the ball went straight up in the lights and sort of bracing for a bit of a collision (between Marsh and Carey) there as well,” Maxwell said.

“Those things can happen. And I suppose the good thing is two people went for it and they didn‘t just let it land in between them so that the want and the hunger is there so that’s a good sign for our group.

“I feel like we battled really hard in the field the other night and in trying conditions and in different conditions and the effort it was certainly there.”