Rebuilt Richardson a smarter Test quick

Jhye Richardson's shoulder setbacks and subsequent two-and-a-half year recovery has ironically helped him become a smarter bowler in Test cricket.

WA bowling mentor Matt Mason, the coach who helped rebuild the quick's action after back-to-back shoulder operations, believes the paceman has become more mature with the ball.

Mason says Richardson has learnt to vary his pace to suit pitch conditions which has made him more lethal late in matches - his skiddy nature proving difficult to handle on pitches staying low.

The 25-year-old's fourth-innings 5-42 to win Australia the second Ashes Test in Adelaide was a prime example of his new-found guile.

"Jhye's effort a few years ago, every ball was at 100 per cent pace and he just happened to be very good at it.

"But the nature of fast bowling is that it's not sustainable.

"He has learned now to sum up the pitch, sum up the conditions in front of him and bowl accordingly.

"In the Queensland game for example (where Richardson took match figures of 8-61) he operated at about 138km/h and then when it was flatter he got into the 140s."

Richardson is every chance of keeping his spot for the MCG Test, with Josh Hazlewood in significant doubt as he battles to overcome a side strain.

It comes after a two-and-a-half year period where Richardson himself admitted he questioned his recovery from a 2019 dislocation.

The rebuild wasn't easy but he never lost sight of regaining his Baggy Green, with patience playing a critical part.

Following successive shoulder operations, he played just three red-ball games between February 2019 and the start of this summer.

Slight changes in his action to compromise for loss of range of movement initially saw him lose his natural outswing.

"It's not just the confidence piece, it's also the physical nature of the surgery," Mason said. 

"But eventually through time, confidence and all his hard work, he managed to get himself back where he was when he made his Test debut."

Under the guidance of WACA physio Nick Jones, Richardson only played T20 games last summer and was then held out of Australia white-ball duties this year to ensure a proper run of red-ball cricket preparation with the Ashes looming.

"We reminded him that if we do this right, then hopefully there is a long career ahead," Mason said.

"The risk is if you rush back too soon or you try a short cut, then you end up going backwards and before you know it be on the scrap heap."

For his part, Richardson was happy to accept it if it kept the carrot of a Test return alive.

"No doubt there were periods throughout that time that I questioned whether or not I'd get back to how I was playing before," he said.

"But one thing that helped me through that was I always had something to aim for. 

"After I first did it, there was a World Cup and an Ashes ... to be out there playing Test cricket again it's no better feeling."

Vodafone Men's Ashes

Squads

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Scott Boland, 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: Australia won by 275 runs

Third Test: December 26-30, MCG

Fourth Test: January 5-9, SCG

Fifth Test: January 14-18, Blundstone Arena