Net gains critical for Starc's Test spot in SA: Ponting

Test legend Ricky Ponting says paceman Mitchell Starc is in danger of being dropped from Australia's Test side unless he's able to rediscover his trademark swing in the lead-up to the first Test against South Africa next month.

Ponting expects speedster Jhye Richardson to be picked in an extended Australian squad for the as-yet-unconfirmed Qantas Tour of South Africa and he says the Western Australian or James Pattinson could replace Starc in the starting XI unless the left-armer can show signs of returning to his best form.

Starc has come under pressure following Australia's shock series loss to India, where he was unable to generate his usual lateral movement in the third and fourth Tests of the series.

Having picked up combined figures of 8-158 in the first two Tests at an economy rate of 2.77 – including his 250th scalp to move to No.9 on the all-time list of Australian Test wicket-takers – he finished with 3-290 from the final two games at an economy of 3.62 as an emboldened Indian batting line-up took him on as the series progressed.

After a long Test summer and having been hampered by hamstring soreness in the fourth Test, it's yet to be seen if Starc will make himself available for the final stages of the KFC BBL or take a break before heading to South Africa.

But with no first-class cricket between now and the first of three Tests against the Proteas, Ponting says Starc needs to impress at training if he's to guarantee his spot.

"It all depends on what he does between now and then in the nets, it's as simple as that," the former Test skipper told cricket.com.au.

"We've been talking about how he just didn't swing the ball. He swung the ball beautifully in the first two Tests but didn't swing it after that. That must be a technique thing, whether he was a bit tired or fatigued.

"But if he can do something to prove to … the coaches around the squad that he's swinging that new ball, in South Africa the ball does move and we know how dangerous he is when the ball does swing.

"But we also know that there might be someone better to play if he's not swinging the ball.

"It's up to him; if he can get some remedial work done to sort his technique out and he starts swinging the ball in the nets, I'd play him for sure."

Richardson has been the standout bowler of the BBL season and has 26 wickets for the tournament, four more than anyone else, having recently returned from a second shoulder operation.

Despite not having played any long-form cricket for more than a year, Richardson is showing all the signs that he's ready to add to his two Test caps, Ponting says.

"He's just a quality new-ball bowler," Ponting said.

"And if there are question marks around Starc and you need someone to swing that new ball, he fits that mould really well. We saw that on his (Test) debut – he can swing the ball.

"I still think Pattinson (might be ahead of Richardson in the pecking order). But even then, he's coming off no cricket. He hasn't played any cricket for a long time. At least Jhye is getting some white-ball cricket under his belt and building back up to what looks like just about his best bowling.

"I'd expect both of them to be in the squad and because there's no cricket, it might just be about who's bowling the best in the week leading up to the first Test. And they would go with one of them if Starc is not there (in the XI)."

Ponting expects there to be few changes to the extended 18-man Test squad that was picked for the Indian series, with Tasmania batsman Ben McDermott the only player he thinks could come into consideration for a call-up.

McDermott has averaged 66 in five first-class games this season, including two scores of 90 in the Marsh Sheffield Shield and an unbeaten hundred for Australia A against India, and has continued his good form for the Hurricanes in the BBL.

"We know what he can do when he starts to attack and how hard he can hit the ball, but defensively he looked quite good (in his hundred against India)," Ponting said.

"The only cricket he's had to play since is this (BBL) and he's done really well, he's having his best season.

"That's the hard thing about trying to pick Test squads when there's no cricket on; it's months between red-ball cricket for them and for the players to put a case forward, it becomes pretty difficult."

However, Ponting expects selectors to stick with Matthew Wade in the squad and possibly retain him in the XI for the first Test even though the left-hander has gone 14 innings without a half-century.

The expected return from injury of rookie opener Will Pucovski to take on the Proteas means Wade's position at No.5 is the only one in Australia's top six that is expected to come under serious scrutiny.

If picked, McDermott could challenge Wade and Travis Head for that role, but Ponting believes selectors will stick with Wade even though he says the manner of the left-hander's dismissals against India would have been a concern.

"I think he'll go and he might even start," he said.

"He looked as good as anyone (against India) nearly every time he walked out there. When you see him play and how desperate he is and how aggressive he is, the way he got out … you think of him as being more of a fighter than that, but a lot of them were quite soft dismissals.

"I'm sure that's a worry for them and I'm sure JL (coach Justin Langer) would have spoken to him about it every time he got out.

"He got 40-odd in the first innings in Brisbane and looked really good, he got caught down the leg side in the second innings so you can almost erase that one.

"I know it's been 14 innings between half-centuries, but the reason they've kept him in ahead of (Travis) Head is they thought he would offer more in that role."