Mitchell Starc returns amid Australian cricket injury crisis

There is finally some good news in Australian cricket with Mitchell Starc is expected to join the Australia A members on a charter plane bound for Adelaide on Monday.

Mitchell Starc, centre, with Cameron Green returns to the Australian camp. Picture: Phil Hillyard

There is, at least, some good news in Australian cricket with Mitchell Starc in the bubble in Sydney and expected to join the Australia A members on a charter plane bound for Adelaide on Monday.

Cameron Green is also reported to be improving every day and has been cleared to fly to Adelaide to join the Test squad after being hit in the head while bowling for Australia A against India on Friday.

Will Pucovski, however, has already returned to Melbourne after being ruled out of Thursday’s first Test with concussion — his ninth.

Starc will join the nine Test players who have been tuning up with centre wicket practice in the evenings at Adelaide Oval ahead of the pink ball Test on Thursday.

The left-armer, who would be expected to open the bowling, was not on the first charter plane or part of either Australia A game are being granted compassionate leave because of an illness in his family.

If injuries were a virus they’d be locking down Australian cricket right now. Sober executives would be accompanied by the medical staff as statistics were updated, restrictions invoked and hard questions avoided.

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Three concussions in four days, a spate of soft tissue injuries and a desire to find a rest period for players who have been bouncing from bubble to bubble for months and are set to do the same for many months to come, has made life difficult in the lead-up to the critical first Test.

The list of the fallen is not pretty reading. David Warner has been ruled out of the first Test and will struggle to be fit for the second. It’s an enormous loss for Australia, the opening batsman averages 66 at home. His aggressive approach has set up many a win for his country, his experience is invaluable and even his fielding will be missed.

The upside is that Warner is able to gain critical time at home with his wife and children without withdrawing from any cricket — Pat Cummins was given a hall pass during the white ball series for the same reason.

Australia’s Cameron Green after being hit in the head while bowling. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Pucovski is arguably one of the best batsman in the country, but hopefully not destined to become one of those who makes the list of best batsmen never to play for his country in a Test match.

His loss is profound on many levels, hopefully he will be fit for Boxing Day, but that’s the two first-choice openers absent — much like Joe Burns’ form which is on the critical list.

Australia A coach Chris Rogers has had his own experience with recovering from head blows and knows Pucovski well and believes he should be fine but it’s a matter of time.

“Time is gold. From my own experience, you just need a bit of time to get over it,” Rogers said. “Then get back in the nets, almost go through your process again. Face your fears down a little bit and almost get back on the horse

“Every day is going to count for him. Now he has a bit more time to prepare for Melbourne, that’s going to help. He’s been through it before and keeps coming out the other side, so he’s definitely shown resilience.”

Rogers dismissed concerns about Pucovski’s technique.

“He’s done so much work on playing the short ball and he just made a mistake,” Rogers said.

“Sometimes you don’t always get it right.

“What people might not know is he played a couple of Shield games and they tried to bounce him from almost the 10th over, for his whole innings. He got two double-hundreds.”

Pucovski was hit on the Tuesday in the first Australia A game and it was the star of Australian cricket’s turn on Friday night when Green copped a frightening blow when bowling to Jasprit Bumrah.

The main concern in the immediate aftermath appeared to be whether he had fractured his skull, but the brilliant young cricketer appears to have good bones. His West Australian teammate Cameron Bancroft once boasted about having a thick skull, it may be a thing in those parts.

Reports are positive about Green but again it is a matter of time — some recommend five days symptom-free before returning, which makes things tight.

Sean Abbott was another casualty of the A game. The maturing NSW paceman was an unlikely starter in the Text XI but is part of the squad and was bowling well at the SCG before limping off. Medical staff say it was precautionary and the bowler was suffering calf tightness, but it left the A team a bowler short.

They were two short when Harry Conway was struck in the head while being peppered by bouncers, under lights, on the eve of stumps. It was ugly to witness the No 11 battling to get out of the way and then struggling further after the blow.

Justin Langer addressed the board 10 days ago and informed them of the strains bubbles and injuries are placing on the men’s teams and it has only got worse since he gave the directors his thoughts.