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Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will be expected to cover up for the injured Josh Hazlewood ahead of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will be expected to take up additional bowling duties to cover for the injured Josh Hazlewood. (Image: AFP)
The Australian Test skipper, Pat Cummins revealed that he and fellow pacer, Mitchell Starc would look to cover the holes left by Josh Hazlewood with the latter being ruled out of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series due to injury.
With the third Test between the two sides, ending in a draw at Brisbane, the five-match affair heads on to the fourth Test, a Boxing Day clash between the two sides at Melbourne. Australia will have to cope without Hazlewood for the rest of the series.
But Cummins and Starc have taken 14 wickets each, showing that they can do the job just as well without Hazlewood in the bowling unit as well. But Australia could also make changes to their side if the wicket turns out to be more of a spin-friendly one.
But should the wicket be a pacer-friendly one, Cummins suggested that the plan as of now is to continue with Starc to take on added duties with the ball. The Gabba Test being interrupted due to rain served as an ideal cover for the pair to take a rest and get back on with the ball when needed.
Cummins was quoted by AP saying, “Nothing is for certain,” he said. “See how we pull up. But today we’re both fine so I can’t see that changing. It was hot yesterday but physically outside of that we’re good to go”.
“We’d had about seven days or so off bowling after Adelaide so we were fresh and ready to go. If anything, the rain breaks (in Brisbane) actually helped us get a bit of a break,” he added.
With the series hanging in the balance and two more Tests left in the series, it remains to be seen if Australia can end their decade-long losing streak and possibly get back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In addition, their spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final is also up for grabs, something the title-holders will be keen on contesting to defend the Test mace.
The Aussies don’t have much pressure during the Test series against India considering that they would just have to beat Sri Lanka in one of the two Tests lined up as their final Test series ahead of the WTC final.
