Hitman to stare down Poms
AUSTRALIA have sent in a hired hitman to open up the scars of an already injuryravaged England tomorrow in Perth, weeks before the first Test even begins.
On a dramatic day for the tourists, star spinner and lower-order match-winner Moeen Ali and paceman Steve Finn were sent for urgent scans yesterday and are in doubt for the start of the Ashes in Brisbane on November 23.
Ali has a side strain while Finn has suffered a knock to the knee. Meanwhile, England coach Trevor Bayliss has conceded he has virtually written off any chance that controversial all-rounder Ben Stokes will play any part in
the summer, saying that if the superstar caught up in assault allegations turns up it would be a “bonus”.
Four years ago Mitchell Johnson destroyed England’s psyche at the Gabba but this time around Australia’s frontline bowling attack are backing fresh reserve Nathan Coulter-Nile to kick-start the mental disintegration in a tour game this weekend at
the WACA Ground in Perth. Coulter-Nile, capable of matching the rapid 150km/h speeds of Johnson, shapes as next cab off the rank for Australian selection this summer should injury befall Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood or Mitchell Starc, and he is being given an early shot at England after being rested from Western Australia’s clash with NSW.
Giving their Ashes opponents a look at one of their prime fast bowlers is far from an ideal scenario for Australia, some would say. However, medical staff face a delicate balance in fine-tuning Coulter-Nile’s fitness given he has not played backto-back Shield matches in close to three seasons.
Captaining the invitational WA XI team to face England is a way of managing Coulter-Nile’s workload, while still ensuring he’s playing high-quality cricket.
Rather than focus on the risk that facing Coulter-Nile at the WACA Ground could harden England’s defences for the Ashes, Aussie spearhead Josh Hazlewood believes his fellow right-armer can set the cat among the pigeons for Joe Root’s men right from the get-go.
“I see it more as a positive. Maybe he can crack open a few guys early and create a few scars in their top order and middle order,” Hazlewood said.
“For their top order, it would be their first real hitout in Australia and to have a guy like Coults there to warm them up and maybe create a few scars would be nice.”