The Ashes war of attrition began unofficially on Wednesday, nine days out from the first Test, as Pat Cummins found himself fielding questions about injuries that weren’t his for a change.
Cummins was driving from his Southern Highlands hobby farm to Sydney when news filtered through that Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott had left the SCG during NSW’s Sheffield Shield clash with Victoria to be assessed for hamstring concerns.
By the time Australia’s captain had finished his own physio session – part of his bid to be fit for the second Test in Brisbane – he walked into a potentially summer-defining situation with Blues officials.
“There was a bit happening for an hour or so,” Cummins said a short time later at a Cricket Australia event at the Sofitel Sydney, where CA announced a new partnership with NRMA Insurance.
It was Cummins’ third corporate appearance in a month. At the previous two, he joked about having little to report about his back injury. This time, questions were coming thick and fast about Hazlewood’s availability for Perth.
So, could the captain be a late inclusion for the first Test?
Pat Cummins speaks to the media on Wednesday – this time about someone else’s injury. Credit: Getty Images
Cummins, who has been bowling at about 90 per cent intensity recently in the SCG nets, smiled and shook his head.
“Ah, no,” he said. “Not for the first Test.”
One thing crystallised on Wednesday: the team whose fast bowlers stay healthy the longest will probably win the Ashes.
It took Cricket Australia almost four hours to issue an update on Hazlewood. He was eventually cleared of a muscle strain and will train as normal in the lead-up to the series opener, but Abbott was ruled out after suffering a “moderate grade hamstring injury” shortly after taking 4-18 from nine overs in Victoria’s second innings.
Josh Hazlewood shakes hands with Scott Boland after their Sheffield Shield match at the SCG. Credit: Getty Images
Head selector George Bailey last week trumpeted the fact that 14 of Australia’s 15 Test squad were playing in this Shield round. But two fast bowlers sidelined within an hour would have been a nightmare scenario.
Hazlewood’s “tightness in his right hamstring” will make selectors even more cautious during the next few weeks, while Abbott’s setback was particularly cruel given his form.
Cummins’ absence in Perth opens the door for Scott Boland, who remains one of the best like-for-like replacements in world cricket.
Beyond that, Australia’s depth could soon be tested, and it is likely to be series defining. Brendan Doggett is next in line with Abbott ruled out, but Michael Neser, Fergus O’Neill or Xavier Bartlett could all come into the frame if more injuries strike the big four of Cummins, Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Boland.
England spearhead Jofra Archer is remembered for his blistering spells in the 2019 Ashes, but a record of just 46 first-class appearances in almost a decade suggests he’s unlikely to be a threat in all five Tests.
Mark Wood has averaged only five first-class matches a year in a 15-year career. The prospect of both men being fit and firing for the full series appears remote. They need to be on target if England are to reverse a combined 13-0 scoreline in the past three Ashes series in Australia.
With James Anderson and Stuart Broad retired, England’s pace attack no longer has the same aura. Only Archer and Wood have the pace to worry Australia, but their history with injury is something England are managing meticulously.
The key to Australia’s sustained success during the past decade has been the careful management of Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc. For all the talk about an ageing side and the need to blood younger players, the fact the trio are still leading the attack is testament to shrewd planning on Cricket Australia’s part.
With Cummins sidelined for the series opener, Steve Smith is effectively calling the shots until the skipper returns. When Hazlewood mentioned tightness in his hamstring on Wednesday, Smith promptly told him to get off the SCG and have it checked.
As much as Smith wanted to focus on hauling NSW back into the contest – which was all but over by that stage – his priority was preserving his most valuable assets in the Test set-up. Despite being two bowlers down, Smith knew it was not wise to make Starc shoulder the extra overs.
If Smith had his way, Boland probably wouldn’t have bowled 10 overs in the second innings. He needs him as fresh as possible for the first Test. As it turned out, Boland (1-24) helped Victoria complete a thumping 300-run win, while Smith finished with nearly 45 per cent of his team’s runs.
Nine days is a long time in an Ashes build-up, and both sides are scrambling to get their heavy artillery to the starting line.
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