Pattinson calls time on Tests

JAMES Pattinson has retired from Test cricket, leaving Australia short of one its key bowling options ahead of the Ashes.

The 31-year-old has been in the mix with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood for a number of seasons, usually coming into the side when one is rested or injured, but was picked ahead of Starc for the first Test in the 2019 Ashes.

He is struggling with a knee injury on the eve of the Test summer and lost motivation to get himself up for another campaign – although people close to the bowler are hopeful that a change of fortune at Shield level may lead to a change of heart.

With Pattinson telling selectors he is unavailable Michael Neser, Shaun Abbott and Mark Steketee are other likely inclusions in the Ashes squad.

One of the country’s best quicks for a decade, stress fractures and the emergence of the NSW trio has limited Pattinson’s time in the Test team.