Australia - should they field four quicks?

[uvelocity]

spikeys shook. boof has him running scared. good signs

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Starc is not good enough to be in a three man pace attack at the moment. He only has two modes - either he's blowing batsmen away with crazy extravagant movement and pace or dishing up tasty 140kph half volleys. He'll get there eventually but he's a bit of a liability at the moment when not in god mode.

 

[Ruckus]

Starc wouldn't be a bad option in a 4 man pace attack, but yeah in a 3 man attack with Pattinson (who can still have bad spells) and a seemingly out of form Siddle, it's just a bad idea imo. They have to play Harris. I don't see what the reasoning could be if they don't. He is a clear-cut better bowler than both Siddle and Starc and performed well in his first tour match. If they are concerned about injury then I don't even understand why he is even in the squad. You either accept Harris for the injury-prone bowler he is and play him whenever you can anyway (which is what has happened in the past with good success), or you simply don't have him in the picture.

 

[adub]

Exactly. Harris has to be either in the test side or the hospital ward.

 

[morgieb]

Agree with Albi and Ruckus here.

Ideally I'd go with Bird/Harris/Pattinson but I can deal with Siddle. Starc just feels like a liability though in a 4-man attack + Watson and some other 6th bowler.

 

[Top_Cat]

If Harris doesn't bowl the house down and Starc takes another bag against Worcs, reckon Starc's going to play the first Test. Siddle and Pattinson are nailed on so it comes down to those two.