Quantcast

'Seriously scary' Richardson even better than before

Jhye Richardson is tipped to take his game to new heights after overcoming a serious injury, as he prepares to play his first Test since February 2019

Close to three years after dumb luck robbed Jhye Richardson of an Ashes debut, the dynamo young speedster from the west will take on the old enemy as an even better prospect than the one who burst onto the international scene.

At least that’s what the Australian camp believes after confirming the 25-year-old would replace the injured Josh Hazlewood for the second Vodafone Test against England.

An outfield mishap in Sharjah where Richardson sprinted and dived in a desperate bid to stop a boundary only to dislocate his right shoulder (an outcome he realised almost instantly as he raised his good arm to signal he required medical attention) has forced him to be patient.

The blow came hot on the heels of an impressive Test entrance, snaring six wickets at 20.50 in his maiden series against Sri Lanka including a debut under lights at the Gabba.

Richardson suffers shoulder injury

Over the ensuing two seasons he was restricted largely to white-ball cricket, playing just four Sheffield Shield games over that period, as he underwent two separate operations to fix his shoulder.

"If we go back to 2019, he played two really good Test matches (and) was on the verge of an Ashes series and (ODI) World Cup before he had his shoulder injury," Test captain Pat Cummins told reporters on the eve of the Adelaide Oval pink-ball encounter.

Cummins, who understands too well the pain and frustration of spending an extended period out of the game due to injury, suggested Richardson’s recovery might have been even harder than his own from a litany of back stress fractures.

"At least with the back injuries you know players have done it before and got back," said Cummins.

"With the shoulder injuries it’s probably less common and you feel like you never get quite as strong or back to what you were previously.

"He’s done it really well, he’s taken his time. Last year he battled in the field but was one of the main bowlers in the Big Bash.

"He looks to be not only as good a bowler as he was two years ago, I think he’s better. He’s got more control, he’s got all the skills and just that little bit older."

Richardson has proved that by torching batters during the early stages of the Marsh Sheffield Shield season, snaring 23 wickets at 13.43 to establish himself as the competition’s leading paceman.

It put him at the front of the queue for a seam bowling spot behind star trio Cummins, Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, no mean feat given the perennially unfortunate Michael Neser was presumed to have taken the ‘next quick in’ mantle after James Pattinson retired from Test cricket before the Ashes.

Test allrounder Cameron Green attested to the notion Richardson, his Shield teammate at Western Australia, has gotten even better this summer.

"It feels like he’s a level above state cricket and he’s ready for Test cricket again," Green told the Unplayable Podcast on Tuesday. "He’s a level above with that accuracy that he’s got.

"Out and out ‘Richo’ with pace is seriously scary. But he’s probably brought that (pace) a little bit back to be consistent. With all the skills he’s got as well he doesn’t really need it.

"In saying that, Richo dialling it back is still probably 140(kph)."

Aussie quicks make pink Kookaburra sing in the nets

In the 5”10 Richardson, Australia acknowledge they have a vastly different type of weapon to Hazlewood, who stands nearly 20 centimetres taller.

It means England will have to contend with a skiddier trajectory than the rest of Australia’s seam attack (including the tallest of them all, Green) at a similar – if not quicker – pace.

They might not face him with the brand new pink Kookaburra however, with Cummins suggesting he would “probably” open with Mitchell Starc but had yet to make a final call.

"The biggest difference is just the stature – he’s slightly shorter, a bit skiddier, as opposed to Joshy’s tall bounce," Cummins said of Richardson.

"But he’s really skilled, he can swing the ball both ways, he can nip the ball, he’s a bit faster than you think, he can be around about that 140 mark. He’s really consistent, he can lock in.

"Josh is one of the best in the world, he’s very hard to replace but Jhye really is in that upper echelon.

"I don’t think we’ll see too much change. The biggest change is we’ve got someone like Cameron Green to lean on as another quick option, we’ll probably look to get him into the game a bit more.

"We’re not short of options at any time."

Vodafone Men's Ashes

Squads

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

England: Joe Root (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Schedule

First Test: Australia won by nine wickets

Second Test: December 16-20, Adelaide Oval

Third Test: December 26-30, MCG

Fourth Test: January 5-9, SCG

Fifth Test: January 14-18, Blundstone Arena