But isn’t winning matches really all about the bowlers?

THE Test batting line-up is far from settled, so it’s fortunate that bowlers, not batsmen, win cricket matches.

That’s what the bowlers say anyway. For Australia’s sake, they had better be right, because take out Steve Smith and Australia’s batting is looking wan and woebegone.

While the Australia A batoff plays out in Perth, a plethora of pacemen are pawing the ground, ready to prove the adage that a side is only as good as its bowlers. The big four of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson are not lacking in support.

It’s all pace in Perth: Jhye Richardson, Michael Neser, Riley Meredith and Sean Abbott will do the honours in the three-day, pink-ball match against Pakistan. And there’s still more quality seamers below the Australia A attack.

Jackson Bird’s 15 wickets at 15.26 this season has taken him past Ben Hilfenhaus to be Tasmania’s highest wicket-taker.

Cameron Gannon (18 at 17.83) heads the shield aggregate but not even his form at his home Gabba ground will be enough to get him a cap for the first Test in Brisbane.

Cummins maintains a healthy gap on his rivals at the top of the ICC rankings and Hazlewood is humming after taking 6-35 against South Australia last week. Which leaves selectors Trevor Hohns and Justin Langer to make a call on the third quick — Starc, Pattinson or Richardson.

Going on form at the venue and matching up with the opposition, Starc should take his place in the XI. Because the last time these sides met at the Gabba, in 2016-17, Starc won a Test Australia appeared destined to lose. Chasing 490 to win, the tourists were 8-449, with Asad Shafiq coasting on 137, when Starc struck.

Summoning every ounce of his fading strength, the leftarm quick Starc banged the ragged pink ball into the flat Gabba strip. Asad fended the rearing ball to David Warner to end Pakistan’s challenge.

It was the ball of the series. After coming so close in Brisbane, Pakistan tumbled to big defeats in Melbourne and Sydney. The 3-0 series win was unexpected as it followed Australia’s embarrassing home series loss to South Africa.

Starc’s steepling bounce is as big a weapon as his searing yorker or late inswing, when he’s got it going.