Scott Boland has been dropped for the second Ashes Test against England, with Mitchell Starc recalled in his place.
Starc’s inclusion is the only change to the team that won a thrilling first test last week, with Pat Cummins confirming early reports at the coin toss. No other changes were made.
England won the toss and have elected to bowl, with Cummins admitting he would have made the same choice due to overcast conditions at Lord’s.
“We would have had a bowl as well,” Cummins said.
“We’re really happy with how Scott has been going. Unfortunately, he is the one to miss out this week… we wanted some variety.
“We’re excited to have someone of Starcy’s class come back in.”
Australia’s to-the-minute planning for the Ashes has been made clear with Cummins’ embarrassment of bowling riches in stark contrast to England’s injury issues.
With Cummins, Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland available for the first two Tests, the tourists have had all options at their disposal to start the series.
Mitchell Starc . (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
The same cannot be said for England.
Jofra Archer (elbow) and Jack Leach (back) have both been ruled out for the series, while Mark Wood has been kept on ice for the first two Tests with lingering elbow injuries.
Cummins said that while luck was involved in Australia’s full arsenal being available, there was a degree of planning to it with Hazlewood’s return from side and Achilles injuries.
“I know how much work our team has put into making sure someone like Josh Hazlewood (is fit),” Cummins said.
“He has had a few injury worries, but over the past six months we have given him the best chance possible to be right for this series.
“It’s rare to have a squad that is fit. Some of it is luck, but we’ve certainly got a lot more info over the years.”
It has not always been the case for Australia.
Cummins in particular missed five years of cricket through injury after his 2011 Test debut against South Africa, while Starc also had issues early on.
“The biggest difference now is we are in our late 20s or early 30s,” Cummins said.
“Joshy, Mitch Starc, James Pattinson, myself all came onto the scene late teens early 20s when you are at your most risk.
“But to be able to manage through that and reap the rewards now later in our careers has been huge.
“The amount of time, effort and investment put into sports science in Australia has been phenomenal.”
Cummins said workload management had not played a part in selection over the first two Ashes Tests, with a tighter squeeze between Lord’s and the third Test in at Headingley a looming concern.
England do hope to have Wood back for Headingley, after being concerned on whether the speedster could get through Lord’s injury free.
Instead, the hosts have opted for Josh Tongue as the fourth seamer, with Joe Root the fallback frontline spinner.
“We wanted to play Mark Wood,” England captain Ben Stokes said.
“We felt he could definitely start the game but after conversations, we felt the extra week would give him the chance to get his loads up and the opportunity to play a full part from Leeds onwards.
“I spoke to him about how I would want him to operate in this game and he was very honest with me in saying he wasn’t sure if he would be able to give what he’s known for throughout this Test match.”
With AAP
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