Gruelling Test schedule won’t preclude fast bowlers leading ODI title defence, for which Aussies also hope to entice Tim David
Australia are backing their mighty but injury-susceptible pace triumvirate to make it all the way to next year’s ODI World Cup, a tournament the reigning champions also hold hope of luring finisher Tim David to play in.
Coach Andrew McDonald insisted none of Pat Cummins, the 50-over captain, Mitchell Starc nor Josh Hazlewood wanted to skip upcoming white-ball tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh. They have instead been told to rest given the taxing runs of Tests to come.
During a 12-month stretch beginning in mid-August, Australia will play 20 Tests (21 if they make the World Test Championship final) which includes home matches against Bangladesh, New Zealand and the 150th anniversary match at the MCG, as well as trips to South Africa, India and England.
Having the Big Three firing in those campaigns remains the over-arching priority for Australia’s high-performance team. But McDonald believes he can also get his star quicks to the start line of the Aussies’ 50-over World Cup title defence in southern Africa.
One indication that event is more than an afterthought has been the recent appointment of former all-format wicketkeeper and batter Matthew Wade to a full-time assistant coaching role with the white-ball sides.
But it will be a mammoth ask to have all three of the star bowlers in top shape when that tournament comes around in October-November next year, by which time Starc and Hazlewood will be months away from their 38th and 37th birthdays respectively, while Cummins will be 34.
All three have been in top form in the IPL over recent weeks, with Cummins and Hazlewood both set to feature in the playoffs. Once that pair join Starc in heading home, the trio will use the June-July period to steel themselves for the busiest stretch of their careers.
“I think people look at the immediate games and go, ‘Well, why aren’t they playing there?'” said McDonald, who has been preparing Australia’s non-IPL tourists through a series of off-season camps in Brisbane and Adelaide.
“But if you actually work back from 2027 and look at what we’ve got coming up, this is the last significant break that we get to invest into their bodies to set themselves up to get all the way through to 2027. We are planning for them to be there in 2027.
“I think there needs to be a lot of trust in what we’re doing to be able to get them there. It’s going to be a significant challenge, in particular for our fantastic (sports science and medical) team, they’ve done a great job over a period of time.
“I think there’s almost a misconception that the players are sort of picking and choosing as to where they play and which series they play in. These decisions are made around the management of what is coming up with in the schedule – and they don’t choose that.
“We work with them on it … those players want to play. We just don’t feel like it’s the best time for them to play.”