Australia’s fast bowling injury woes have left captain Michael Clarke walking a tightrope ahead of the third Test against the West Indies in Dominica.
The tourists have an unbeatable 1-0 series lead going into the final game of the series after the second Test in Trinidad ended in a draw on Thursday.
Chasing 215 off 61 overs after Australia made 8(dec)-160 in their second innings, the Windies were 2-53 after 11 overs when the rain which has marred the entire second Test returned after lunch.
Clarke will be without both Peter Siddle and James Pattinson for next week’s game after the Victorian pair were sent home from the Caribbean with back injuries.
It means the Australian captain will have just three fast bowlers to select for the third Test – Ryan Harris, Mitchell Starc and Ben Hilfenhaus.
Should any of the trio pull up lame in the three days before the start of the Dominica Test, Clarke will almost have his hand forced to stick with the dual spin attack of Nathan Lyon and Michael Beer he used in the second Test.
Harris remains a match-to-match proposition for selectors given the fragility of his 32-year-old body, as evidenced by the decision to rest him for the Queen’s Park Oval Test despite a man of the match performance in the first Test win in Barbados.
Starc hasn’t bowled a competitive delivery since the washed-out Sheffield Shield match between NSW and Queensland at the SCG seven weeks ago.
But if Clarke was concerned about the prospect of going into the last Test of a three-game series with a 1-0 lead and a thin squad of bowlers, he wasn’t showing it.
“I think it’s great we have Ryan Harris coming back,” he said.
“It’s a really good opportunity if we go with three fast bowlers to go with Mitchell Starc.
“I think he bowled very well throughout the Australian summer. He’s bowling very well in the nets. I’ve seen that first hand and I think if he gets an opportunity he’ll grab it with both hands.”
What might be of more concern to Clarke is what the injuries could mean to both Siddle and Pattinson.
Siddle has a history of back problems after suffering a stress fracture in 2010 that kept him out of the game for a long time and has also struggled with serious shoulder and foot injuries during his Test career.
Pattinson’s injury is his third since bursting into Test cricket last December, after he hurt his foot and then a buttock muscle during the domestic summer.
The latest problem could leave Pattinson in a race against time to be fit for Australia’s one-day tour of England starting in June given it’s believed both face up to five weeks on the sidelines.
That tour is vital preparation for the 21-year-old ahead of next year’s Ashes campaign, as he has not yet experienced English conditions.
“Obviously it’s disappointing that he’s not going to be available for the third Test but the reality is, if he’s not going to be fit for the third Test, our best option for both him and Peter is to put them on a plane and get them home and get them stuck into treatment ASAP so they’re fit for our next tour,” Clarke said.
