Jhye talent there for all to see now
CRICKET: Amid all the apparent confusion over what players need to do to get into the Australian team, some things are just so obvious they don’t need saying.
That’s why Jhye Richardson hasn’t been pestering Justin Langer about what he needs to do to cement his spot in the team after getting the call-up while Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are being rested.
The 22-year-old has already figured it out himself and just gone out on the field and done it, capturing a career-best 4-26 to pick up the man-of-thematch award in Australia’s ODI win over India.
Performances like that obviously don’t go unnoticed and so Richardson has been added to the conversation as who could be the possible bolter for this year’s World Cup and Ashes.
“The (World Cup) is obviously a long-term goal and it would be great to get there,” he said. “That’s the dream. And I’d love to play an Ashes tour. Obviously if I keep going well then nothing is out of the question.”
For Richardson, that’s as far as the chatter goes.
Richardson, whose victims on Saturday included superstar Virat Kohli, will see Langer in the flesh every day during the ODI series.
Even so, the young fast bowler says he won’t be hounding Langer because he already knows what happened in Sydney won’t count for anything if he doesn’t keep taking wickets.
“I haven’t really had the conversation with him and I don’t think I need to just yet,” Richardson said.
“Justin has said it’s a great opportunity to be able to push your selection for the World Cup but we’ve still got a lot of white-ball cricket between now and then.
“So for me right now, I’m just concentrating on these next two games, then, if I’m lucky enough to get picked for the next tour, I’ll be concentrating on those games.
“Then if I get picked, I get picked. All I can concentrate on is what’s happening now.”
India’s master batsman Rohit Sharma got a close look at the West Australian while making a century which turned out to be in vain.
“He looks a very great prospect ... He’s got great variation as well. Towards the end we got an opportunity to see that as well when he was bowling those slower balls,” Sharma said. “To have skill to bowl with new ball and bowl with old ball as well, it’s quite exciting.”