Former Australia Test captain Tim Paine has claimed that skipper Pat Cummins and left-arm fast-bowling spearhead Mitchell Starc look “really tired” ahead of the fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval, starting from Thursday.
Australia have retained the Ashes 2-1, with the Test at The Oval now only three days away. Cummins has carried a heavy workload, playing in all of Australia’s Tests since the World Test Championship Final in June. Starc, on the other hand, hurt his shoulder while fielding at Manchester.
“What worries me, not just about Pat but also with ‘Starcy’ going into the fifth Test, is they both look really tired. Not just looking at them with their body language, I thought the speeds of their bowling (were an issue). When Patty is bowling low 130s (km/h), I think that’s a concern.”
“Starcy had something wrong with his shoulder from diving, there was talk he might have had a sore hamstring. The next Test match is so crucial, you would want both of those fit. When it’s starting on Thursday, it is a concern. Pat is going to play his sixth Test in six or seven weeks which is a huge workload just for a bowler alone,” said Paine on SEN Radio.
At Manchester, Cummins recorded figures of one for 129, which is the worst bowling figures in the innings of a Test match.
“But then you put on top of that the mental stress and fatigue of captaining a side in a big series and the scrutiny he’s under every day. It’s probably something he hasn’t had to deal with so far in his Test career.”
“He is obviously a huge key for us winning the fifth Test but we need him at his absolute best. When he can’t get a rest, he can’t get away from it, it’s difficult for him both physically and mentally,” added Paine.
Paine, who was Australia’s captain when they retained The Ashes in 2019, admitted there will be some sort of hollowness in the group about the drawn result at Manchester, considering how they were on backfoot before rain saved them from a potential defeat.
“I don’t think it’s as bad a feeling when there’s still a Test match to go. I remember we lost The Oval Test and that was a hollow feeling. Losing a Test and then actually having to go on stage and try to force a celebration was difficult. This one they’ve still got an opportunity (to win).”
“They will feel like they’ve got out of jail for two reasons — one, they get away without losing that Test, which looked likely, and two, they get another crack at it. In 2019 we had to get on a plane and go home so we didn’t get a chance to get rid of that feeling. This group will get that.”
“But you do have to feel for England, no doubt. I thought they played by far their best Test match in this series. They were complete the whole way through it. Unfortunately, their miserable weather let them down again,” he concluded.
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