Australian quick Lance Morris sidelined with back injury, bowling stocks take hit before Ashes
Australia’s pace bowling stocks have taken another hit – with a fresh injury blow intensifying the pressure on the nation’s ageing big four to push through the pain in the Ashes this summer.
Pressure has intensified on Australia’s ageing big four to be marathon men in the Ashes, with ‘The Wild Thing’ tamed once again by a worrying back injury.
Fast bowling tearaway Lance Morris has suffered another setback which threatens his ability to play a support role for the Aussie quicks against England.
Morris, 27, is yet to debut in Test cricket but in an ideal world he might have been Australia’s fifth choice for a home Ashes Test if there was an issue with the powerbase of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland.
Nicknamed ‘The Wild Thing’ when he was first called into the Australian squad three summers ago, Morris is a rare prospect as a fast bowler capable of letting them go at 150km/h, but he now has a harrowing injury record working against him.
Morris was just days away from potentially making his return from his last setback in the one-day series against South Africa in Far North Queensland, but Australian medicos have picked up another flare up in his lower back.
Australia just haven’t been able to keep the West Australian on the park and they may now need to look elsewhere for Ashes reinforcements.
In last summer’s massive five-Test summer against India, Australia were able to get through the arduous campaign without having to look beyond Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and Boland.
However, with Cummins 32 and the other three aged in their mid-30s the squeeze may arrive in the Ashes if England’s batsmen are able to put up enough resistance to push the Tests towards four and five days.
In that scenario, it’s not exactly clear who Australia would prefer as its next cab off the rank, although another experienced man, Sean Abbott would be well and truly in the mix after being called in as cover for the recent tour of the West Indies.
Brendan Doggett, 31, was ruled out of the Caribbean tour with a hip problem and Australia will be hoping he can return to full fitness before the Sheffield Shield summer kicks off.
The quality of Australia’s fast bowling depth is untested due to the brilliance and durability of the ‘big four,’ but at some point selectors may be forced to call upon the cavalry.
Meanwhile, there are also concerns over Matthew Short’s body after the white ball batsman was ruled out of the one-dayers against South Africa with an ongoing side problem he first picked up in the recent West Indies T20 series.
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Owen initially passed an on-field test but experienced delayed symptoms.
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