Rotation policy in quicks’ favour

MITCHELL Starc is comfortable with Australia’s fast-bowling brigade being rotated during the six-test summer, despite his desire to play against Afghanistan and all of the five-match Ashes series.

The left-arm quick said match-ups, conditions and physical capacity were factors the selectors would consider as they attempted to navigate the squad’s speedsters through six Tests in a seven-anda-half week period starting on November 27, the opening day of the Test against Afghanistan.

Australia adopted a rotation policy with their fast bowlers in the

2-2 drawn Ashes series in 2019 in England.

Of the five quicks used, Pat Cummins was the only one to play all five Tests, while Starc (pictured) only played one match.

Starc faces a big workload through the one-day series, a trip to Bangladesh for more T20s, the T20 World Cup and then the home summer.

“No doubt all the players want to play every game, so that’s a hard one to take the ball out of someone’s hand, but certainly the mindset of the fast bowlers is wanting to win series,” Starc said from Barbados, where he is preparing for the three-game one-day international series starting on Wednesday against the West Indies.

“It throws up another interesting discussion in terms of six Test matches, and what we saw through the last summer, we had a few guys with the squad. “Michael Neser was there for the whole time, and he certainly continues to impress in domestic cricket and is waiting for his chance on the international scene.

“There are certainly other guys around for selection along with those two and the three of us (Starc, Cummins and Josh Hazlewood) who’ve been around a little while as well.”

There is also uncertainty around who will captain the Australian side, with Aaron Finch under an injury cloud after copping a blow to the knee in the final T20.

Matthew Wade was Finch’s deputy for the T20 series but has not played an ODI in four years, with doubts over who would captain in his absence. “It makes for an interesting question,” Starc said.