Rotation on the cards for Aussie pace brigade

Australia are confident their talismanic pace trio will be ready to let rip at the Gabba but it remains highly unlikely the attack will remain unchanged throughout the Ashes.

Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, all halfway through a three-day stint in hard lockdown on the Gold Coast, will soon start a three-week block of training before the first Test.

It is a brief window for the Twenty20 World Cup superstars to rediscover their red-ball venom, let alone build up the requisite workload for a five-Test Vodafone Ashes series squeezed into six weeks.

Vice-captain Cummins and chairman of selectors George Bailey insisted on Wednesday that Australia's first-choice attack should be physically ready to reunite at the Gabba.

But Cummins, the only Australian fast bowler to play all five Tests during the 2019 Ashes, conceded changes were all but inevitable at some point this series.

"I'd be surprised if the same four bowlers were used for all five Tests. That's pretty rare, especially in a five-Test summer," Cummins said.

"I certainly won't be putting my hand up to be rested unless I've got something going wrong.

"If someone's rested, there's normally a few niggles or injuries or someone's really running on fumes.

"We've got a huge stable of fast bowlers, so I don't think it'll be a huge issue if someone's not able to play a Test."

Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser have been included in a 15-player Test squad, with the former likely to get the nod if selectors opt to tweak Australia's attack.

Cummins noted T20 spells meant he felt remarkably fresh for this time of year.

"It's better to be underdone than overdone coming into a big Test series," he said.

Former chief selector Trevor Hohns all but admitted Australia erred by persisting with an unchanged attack throughout 2020-21, which ended with the hosts failing to bowl India out at the SCG and Gabba in a shock series loss.

There is no set management plan regarding the quicks this summer, with the coming weeks to determine whether Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc face England in Brisbane.

"They'll work through it, expecting them all to be raring to go," Bailey said.

"It's not the first time that they've gone into a Test series ... without much red-ball cricket or any red-ball cricket behind them."

Richardson, who impressed on Test debut at the Gabba in 2019, has battled back to full fitness after a shoulder injury ruined his hopes of taking part in the 2019 Ashes.

"Physically, he looks as strong as I've seen ever seen him," Bailey said.

Australia's Ashes squad: Tim Paine (c), Pat Cummins (vc), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner

Australia A players: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Henry Hunt, Josh Inglis, Nic Maddinson, Mitchell Marsh, Matt Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Bryce Street

Vodafone Men's Ashes v England

Tour Matches

Nov 23-25: England v England Lions, Brisbane

Nov 30 – Dec 3: England v England Lions, Brisbane

Dec 1-3: Australian intra-squad match, Brisbane

Dec 9-12: Australia A v England Lions, Brisbane

Tests

First Test: December 8-12, The Gabba

Second Test: December 16-20, Adelaide Oval

Third Test: December 26-30, MCG

Fourth Test: January 5-9, SCG

Fifth Test: January 14-18, Perth Stadium