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Hastings return a sight for sore bowlers

Despite being "a touch underdone", John Hastings' return showed few outward signs of his lack of match practice

Now that Australia has lost yet another pace bowler to the long-term injury spreadsheet, the sight of John Hastings completing a successful return to international cricket brought with it a measure of solace.

Hastings played an integral part in Australia’s scrappy two-wicket win over Sri Lanka at Dambulla last night, completing a four-month lay-off at around the same time fellow quick Nathan Coulter-Nile was diagnosed with stress fractures to his back.

Which means the luckless Western Australian pace bowler, who was close to securing his maiden Test cap when he arrived in Sri Lanka as part of a 15-man squad seven weeks ago, faces a lengthy rehabilitation period and absence from the game.

But if Coulter-Nile needed any encouragement that serious prognoses can be overcome and recovery times foreshortened he need look no further than the seamer who assumed his place in Australia’s touring party for the five-match ODI Series on the Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka.

Hastings (along with fellow Victorian quick Scott Boland, who continues his recovery from a fractured hand) were initially selected to take part in the two T20 Internationals that immediately follow the ODIs in Sri Lanka, but joined the touring party early to continue their respective recovery programs.

However, the loss of Coulter-Nile and the ongoing injury issues affecting potential replacement pace bowlers James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Pat Cummins meant Hastings was effectively added to the ODI playing roster even though he was not due to resume playing for another fortnight.

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Not only was he named in the starting XI for Sunday’s third match of the campaign in Dambulla in place of out-of-form allrounder Moises Henriques, Hastings was Australia’s most economical seamer who also collected two wickets and helped guide his team home with the bat in a tense run chase.

"I've done a lot of hard work over this last four or five months and haven’t played since the IPL (where he was with Kolkata Knight Riders until injured last April)," Hastings said in the wake of Australia’s win which gave them a 2-1 ODI series lead ahead of the next match in Dambulla on Wednesday.

"I felt a bit sore two weeks into the IPL and had a stress fracture in my left ankle and it was going to be the same recovery time.

"So the doctors thought it would be a good idea to get in there and shave a couple of spurs off the front of the ankle.

"It wasn’t a major operation but it was enough for me to be out for a little while.

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"Then everything was going really well up at the (Bupa National Cricket Centre in Brisbane), I’ve been up there for the last month or so just training and doing everything I can possibly do to get back.

"So when there was a lot of injuries (to other seamers) and there was a bit of chatter about it, we came to the conclusion that it would be a good idea to have a crack at it so I was happy that was the case and here I am.

"There was a lot of faith shown by the selectors and the medical staff in me, pretty much saying I was ready to go, so I’m very thankful for that.

"There’s been a lot of hard work behind the scenes in getting my body ready and getting back out there, so hopefully it can stand up for a little while longer yet."

Full, short and bang on the money

Hastings has endured more than his share of injury setbacks over the past year, including a trio of shoulder dislocations during the previous Australian summer, and therefore might well become a poster boy for Coulter-Nile who has suffered a string of recent injuries.

Including a dislocated shoulder in a fielding mishap at the start of last season’s KFC Big Bash League season with the Perth Scorchers.

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Despite missing Australia’s successful involvement in the ODI tri-series featuring the West Indies and South Africa in the Caribbean earlier this year, Hastings returned to international cricket showing few outward signs of his lack of match practice.

Conceding just two boundaries in his 10-over spell (one of those a six from Sri Lankan tailender Dilruwan Perera as he looked to up the tempo in Hastings’ final over), the 30-year-old gave little away on a pitch far better suited to spin bowling than seam.

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But Hastings, who admitted to being "a touch under done" in his comeback, claimed he enjoys the challenge of bowling on dry, slow subcontinent-style pitches even though he does not possess the weaponry to blast out opponents with pure pace or extravagant swing.

"I’m totally different to a lot of other people," Hastings said today.

"Starcy (Mitchell Starc) can get it up there and try and swing it but for me, I just try and hit a really good area.

"I honestly believe that a little bit of cross seam and a few cutters, not too slow, but if you can just get that ball in the right area it’s quite hard to hit you back down the ground over your head.

"So I think the length is the key, and just bowling at the stumps.

"Because if they want to take a risk, more often than not you’re going to be at the stumps.

"It really is pretty simple, but that’s what I live and die by."

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Hastings has also been known to "live and die" by his hefty hitting, and was seen rehearsing his favoured heaves over the long-on and mid-wicket boundaries during Australia’s pre-match training sessions at Dambulla.

But when he went to the crease on Sunday, Australia found itself in the midst of a late-innings stumble in pursuit of their 227 victory target and lost three quick wickets to crash to 7-206 which left Hastings to reconsider his options.

"I was pretty firm and fixed on just trying to hit the ball back down the ground for one, and at that stage James Faulkner was still in," said Hastings, who was eventually joined by number 10 batsman Adam Zampa with Australia still needing five runs to win.

"But as soon as he got out things changed a little bit, and if it was (pitched) up then I was going to try and get it over the top.

"But they didn’t really give me much to hit, I was just trying to play nice and straight and I was lucky enough to get a few and Zamps came in and finished it off beautifully.

"He (Zampa) is a pretty cool, calm and collected sort of guy.

"He came out and said 'let’s do this, let’s get it done'.

"I said 'no worries mate, off you go' and then he cuts one from off stump and says 'I cut the ears off it'.

"So he’s pretty confident and that’s what I love about him, you can see it in his bowling and what he’s done in the last little bit all around the world, he’s been fantastic.

"He’s very, very cool, calm and collected and he’s got a lot of self-belief which I think you need as a legspinner."