Operation Patto: rebuilding a young quick

Put yourself, for a moment, in the shoes of Victoria coach Greg Shipperd.

It's mid-February and your side is on top of the Bupa Sheffield Shield table, but licking its wounds after a heavy innings defeat in Brisbane a week ago.

You're preparing for a crucial four-day game against the NSW Blues in Wagga Wagga. Win and you'll stay top of the ladder, lose and you could drop as low as fourth.

It's an important clash, and you have one of the world's best young fast-bowlers in your squad.

The young quick has already played 13 Tests and 13 one-day internationals for his country.

He's un-injured and in form too; he took 4-96 in a Shield match the previous week, his first in over two years.

But you can't pick your young fast-bowler.

Cricket Australia has requested James Pattinson be given a break, lest the star 24-year-old suffer the kind of injury that had restricted him to just one first-class game between the 2013 Ashes and his return last week.

With winter tours to the West Indies and England on the horizon, CA's High Performance team are understandably wary of pushing their young firebrand too far too quickly in his return from a back problem that had prevented him from playing for almost 10 months.

The last time Pattinson returned from the injury - for the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town - he played a vital role in Australia's series-clinching win, but then broke down again.

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Pattinson in Cape Town during his most recent Test // Getty

The decision to rest him against the Blues is just another small step in a meticulous plan - first drafted in May last year - that is aimed to patiently rebuild Pattinson and limit the chances of another significant setback.

Rather than be frustrated that he won't be able to call on one of the most feared young quicks in the country, Shipperd understands the big picture.

He understands the ins and outs of the plan as well; he played a crucial part in its development from the beginning, along with his assistant coaches and Bupa Support Team members Alex Kountouris and Craig McDermott.

"It's been a really collaborative effort," Shipperd tells cricket.com.au.

"I've never seen a program that's been so meticulous. It's been a really seamless process, I've got to say.

"If you were purely results driven for your team, then you can say that (it's frustrating).

"But quite clearly, Victoria and all of the state's mantras is to have a top priority of producing Australian players.

"(Pattinson) is one valuable commodity that needs a special program and history has dictated that that's the smartest option to take for him.

"While the Victorian team suffers, in the long run the Australian team benefits.

"We're all aspiring to push our players up there for the health of the national team and it creates opportunity for other young players when he's not available.

"It's difficult in terms of the continuity of providing a winning environment, that's for sure.

"But that's part of the way we do things."

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Pattinson returned from injury in BBL|04 // Getty

The careful planning of Pattinson's return, and the flow on effect it has on the Bushrangers, is part of a state coach's lot in life.

Like his colleagues around the country, Shipperd has had to constantly adjust throughout the season as he juggles a playing roster that includes six players who have been in and out of the national team.

It's a task typical of all state coaches; NSW Blues are currently pushing for back-to-back Shield titles without the help of eight frontline players on World Cup duty.

It's a difficult and at times thankless task, but one that doesn't go unnoticed by Cricket Australia's Executive General Manager of High Performance, Pat Howard.

"(Victoria) have been absolutely fantastic, as have all the states," Howard told cricket.com.au.

"The role of the state coach is far more complicated than I think people give them credit for.

"This doesn't happen in AFL or rugby league.

"It's a really complex role and I think people need to understand that the role of a state coach in cricket is very difficult.

"You're not playing with the same team every week; that's just what happens.

"You lose people to national selection, plus injuries, plus club involvement, plus Futures League, plus they might be across in different states during the BBL.

"But that's what makes it interesting and that's why we're lucky we've got good people involved."

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Pattinson bowled with fire in the nets during the Test series // Getty

Far from being imposed upon the state coaches, the kind of plan that was formulated for Pattinson's return is open for debate and adjusted accordingly.

One such alteration came earlier this month following Pattinson's comeback to first-class cricket, his first Sheffield Shield match since January 2013.

Victoria's innings defeat against Queensland at the Gabba meant Pattinson bowled just 25 overs, far less than anticipated.

Wary of putting him through the rigours back-to-back Shield games, but keen to get some more overs under his belt, it was decided that Pattinson would miss the game against NSW and instead play in a Toyota Futures League match in the outer suburbs of Melbourne.

He bowled in the first innings only, taking 3-45 from 15 overs, before returning to Victoria's Shield side for their return clash against the Bulls in Alice Springs.

Another adjustment was made after the match in the Alice when Pattinson suffered a minor strain to his left hamstring. The injury ended any chance there was of him playing for the Bushrangers the following week and he was instead pencilled in to return for the final round of Shield games, which start on March 13.

"Those conversations are always robust and every state should have that," Howard said.

"We're only as good as the collective thinking and CA's happy to be challenged on those thought processes.

"We've had to vary it once or twice due to thoughts Victoria had. We made a small adjustment after Round 6, led by Greg Shipperd who did a really good job bringing that forward.

"There's effectively a base plan, but it'll be assessed every time (Pattinson) plays.

"If a game gets rained out then we'll adapt, or if there's a game when he bowled 60 overs then we'll adapt again.

"In cricket you have to adapt. Sometimes it rains, sometimes there's less, sometimes there's more.

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Pattinson pleads for a wicket during the 2013 Ashes // Getty

"So you have to be adjustable.

"James has obviously got a voice in this as well.

"He says whether he feels good or bad or whatever and we take that as part of our considerations.

"But we also know that players always want to play so you've got to sometimes save them from themselves as well."

The ultimate outcome of this constantly adjusting process won't be known for years.

Obviously, the hope is that Pattinson will return to the international arena with all the fire and aggression that has highlighted his brief career so far, but with more stamina and durability than before.

While far too soon to label the plan a success, the early signs are positive.

"James has done a terrific job in being diligent around the program," Shipperd said.

"It looks as though biomechanically all his movements are making sense. He's worked his backside off in the gym and he's a big strong boy now.

"Hopefully all those things will add up to the finished product.

"Everything he's doing at the moment is moving on the upward trend.

"We're delighted with how he's going and we're all hoping this process ends up in him being injury free for a long time and playing some really good cricket for his state and his country."