Pat Cummins’ Ashes availability is uncertain. The battle to be next in line has started

Pat Cummins’ back injury has thrown open the prospect of Australia turning to either a new or inexperienced fast bowler this summer.

Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland remain world-class operators who, fitness permitting, will spearhead Australia’s attack in the opening Ashes Test on November 21 in Perth.

But that trio – along with Cummins, should he return during the series – might not be able to get through all five matches. That turns attention to those waiting on a pecking order that’s been long debated but rarely relevant.

Australia’s bowling depth has long been a point of pride. The next few months are likely to put that notion to the test.

There is a crop of pacemen now jostling to be next in line should injury or the need for squad rotation strike.

A handful of younger quicks and early-season standouts in the Sheffield Shield are also pushing their cases. For the first time in years, one of Australia’s greatest fast-bowling eras may require fresh blood.

Sean Abbott

Abbott is older than Cummins but younger than Hazlewood and Starc. The 33-year-old has served a long red-ball apprenticeship, playing 88 first-class matches for 267 wickets at an average of 30.29. A wholehearted fast bowler who hits the deck hard, Abbott received a NSW debut before Mitchell Starc was handed a baggy green. That’s a reminder of how long the Parramatta junior has been around.

Abbott collected 19 wickets in three Sheffield Shield matches last year – only Boland (20) had more from as many games – at an average of 21.94. His regular involvement with national squads has often limited his availability for NSW, but Abbott has been on the brink of a Test debut for years and travelled as a spare bowler to the West Indies this year. His work ethic on tour was noticed.

Abbott’s fitness is second to none, and he would have no qualms bowling long spells.

“He looks fabulous moving in the field and bowling,” NSW coach Greg Shipperd said. “Last season, he bowled some of the best red-ball spells I’ve seen in some time. There was a spell down in Victoria at the MCG which was just special. He’s right in the reckoning for an opportunity. I hope it comes his way.”

Abbott’s safe catching hands and late-order hitting skills only add to his value. A Test debut this summer would be one of the game’s great stories.

Brendan Doggett

The 2023-24 season thrust Doggett into the national conversation. His 32 wickets at 21.9 were impressive enough, but he backed it up with 44 wickets at 20.56 the following season. In December, the right-arm bowler was called into the Test squad as cover for Hazlewood after taking 6-15 against India A.

Doggett’s stock rose again when he took 11 wickets in South Australia’s Shield final triumph, and he would have toured the West Indies if not for a hip injury.

South Australia coach Ryan Harris last month told ESPN that Doggett, 31, was in the prime of his career. The only bad news is that he is nursing a hamstring injury.

Michael Neser

Most cricketers would envy a Test bowling average of 16.71. But Neser’s two Tests in Adelaide – against England in 2021 and the West Indies in 2022 – don’t tell the full story of a terrific swing bowler who has troubled many of the country’s best batsmen.

He took 35 wickets at 19.28 in the last Sheffield Shield season, having snared 47 at 17.31 in the 2022-23 edition. Neser then picked up a hamstring injury in November last year while playing for Australia A. The timing, he said, was “shocking”.

The 35-year-old can swing the ball both ways, and although he doesn’t bowl at express pace, he would be as dependable as they come. Neser’s batting has also won plaudits, given he has averaged 36.8 and 26.7 in the previous two Shield seasons.

“Michael Neser is in the conversation for any Test. I would like him to get a game,” former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy said on SEN Radio last week.

Jhye Richardson

Richardson is back after shoulder surgery in January. His return is imminent, and few in Australian cricket need reminding of his potential. He is a skiddy right-arm bowler capable of swinging the ball at genuine pace.

He debuted in 2019 against Sri Lanka at the Gabba, while his third and most recent Test was against England four years ago in Adelaide. Richardson’s average for his only day Test is 78, compared with 16.5 in two day-night Test appearances. If selectors want raw pace, Richardson could be the spark.

The bolters

This is where it gets interesting. As Starc noted recently, a summer such as this can unearth the next big quick if mainstays are sidelined. Lance Morris is one rising star who is out for the season.

South Australia’s Nathan McAndrew, who honed his craft in Sydney grade cricket, is one name being discussed in state circles.

The 32-year-old has built up a great body of work – 229 first-class wickets at 25 from 58 matches. McAndrew took 5-23 in a 50-over match against Victoria last week.

Victoria’s Fergus O’Neill, 24, is a proven performer, snaring 134 first-class wickets at the excellent average of 21.1. The question is whether, on more favourable pitches for batting, he can make inroads given his pace.

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