Death-defying feats give paceman an edge

In the flurry of wickets at the end of Australia’s warm-up victory in Hampshire on Saturday, the dismissal of Tom Curran as England tried to keep up with the required rate raised little more than an eyebrow or two, coming as it did in an unofficial match five days out from the tournament proper.

But the seemingly nondescript dismissal of the English allrounder, who was deceived by a slower ball and sliced a catch to backward point, underlined why fast bowler Kane Richardson was drafted into Australia’s World Cup squad earlier this month.

And why, according to a man who’s watched Richardson’s development closer than most in recent years, he’s the man Australia should turn to if they need someone to bowl the high-pressure death overs during this World Cup.

While Richardson’s dismissal of Curran barely created a ripple at the Rose Bowl, some 17,000 kilometres away in the depths of Melbourne’s winter, it didn’t go unnoticed.

Richardson’s coach at the Melbourne Renegades, Andrew McDonald, identified Curran’s dismissal as having come from a back-of-the-hand slower ball that his bowler has added to his repertoire since he was lured east from the Adelaide Strikers in 2017 by the offer of a whopping five-year deal.

And having watched his charge take a tournament high 24 wickets in the Renegades’ title-winning BBL|08 campaign last summer, McDonald believes Richardson has the game to challenge the world’s biggest hitters in the death overs at this World Cup.

"I’ve been pretty open in saying Kane Richardson is probably one of the best finishers I’ve seen," McDonald told cricket.com.au this week.

"I think he could fill the back end quite comfortably for the Australian team, it just depends on what roles they’ve got for their bowlers.

"I’m probably biased to some degree, but if they want someone to close out an innings, there’s a reason why we recruited him the Renegades. He’s very good at that.

"I’d like to see him play if they need a closer. He’s also pretty good against left-handers at the top, he can shape the ball away and there should be a bit of swing on offer as well."

McDonald was quick to add that Richardson’s selection in Australia’s XI during the tournament, most likely as part of a three-man pace attack alongside spearheads Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, is far from guaranteed.

If selectors decide that Starc, Cummins and allrounder Marcus Stoinis can adequately fill the role of finisher with the ball, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jason Behrendorff both offer an attractive proposition as a third frontline quick, while a fast bowler would likely be sacrificed if Australia opt for a dual spin attack of Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon.

And while Richardson’s ability to take wickets and keep the run rate to a minimum in the dying embers of an innings is undoubtedly his trump card, he concedes he needs to be more than just a death-bowling specialist.

"For me to play and do well, I need to be able to bowl at every stage of the innings and that's something I'm going to be keep working on," he said earlier this week.

"I'm confident in my ability to at least do a job at the back end if needed."

That drive for self-improvement hasn’t gone unnoticed by McDonald since Richardson switched to the Renegades, where the right-armer’s wicket tally of 36 over the past two BBL seasons has been bettered only by Afghan superstar Rashid Khan.

A 15-time international representative when he signed for the Melbourne franchise 18 months ago, Richardson was already one of the leading bowlers in the Big Bash and had played for three different IPL franchises by the time he swapped Strikers' blue for the red of the Renegades.

And McDonald says the 28-year-old’s development in the past two seasons has been sparked predominantly by the player himself.

"He was a good player when he came across ... but I would say he's been very open minded around his ability to bowl some slower balls," McDonald said.

"He got a wicket the other night with one out of the back of the hand, which is an addition to his bowling, and he’s got some different slower balls. That’s been the great advancement in his game. He’s added a few slower balls which has given him a bit more defence.

"That’s been the evolution of him over the last couple of years. He’s the one who’s wanted to add those things in there and we’re there to help him with those and give him the confidence to explore them in games."

2019 World Cup

Australia's squad: Aaron Finch (c), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

May 22: (warm-up) Australia beat West Indies by seven wickets

May 25: (warm-up) Australia beat England by 12 runs

May 27: (warm-up) Australia beat Sri Lanka by five wickets

June 1: Afghanistan v Australia, Bristol (D/N)

June 6: Australia v West Indies, Trent Bridge

June 9: India v Australia, The Oval

June 12: Australia v Pakistan, Taunton

June 15: Sri Lanka v Australia, The Oval

June 20: Australia v Bangladesh, Trent Bridge

June 25: England v Australia, Lord's

June 29: New Zealand v Australia, Lord's (D/N)

July 6: Australia v South Africa, Old Trafford (D/N)

July 9: Semi-Final 1, Old Trafford

July 11: Semi-Final 2, Edgbaston

July 14: Final, Lord's

For a full list of all World Cup fixtures, click HERE