Xavier Bartlett can bowl freely now. Can one bowler solve Australia’s great problem?
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Xavier Bartlett’s Action
Fantasy all-rounders who can roll their arm at will and still hit sixes are surely the stuff of dreams. Australia might have their own.
Xavier Bartlett is fresh from white-ball action in South Africa and is in Perth for the first Sheffield Shield clash between Queensland and Western Australia at the WACA.
No longer a part-timer
Bartlett was restricted to tight limits in past Sheffield Shield campaigns due to concerns about his body, but those worries appear to have dissipated.
Queensland coach James Hopes is confident enough in Bartlett’s recovery to allow him to bowl “35 to 40 overs if needed”.
Queensland’s crop of pace bowlers is depleted, with Michael Neser named in the Test squad and Mark Steketee sidelined with a hamstring operation.
That opens the door for Bartlett to lead the attack.
More than a handy spearman
While Bartlett has dazzled in limited-overs cricket, swinging the new ball and picking up crucial wickets, he has also shown his value with the bat in first-class matches.
His bowling figures of 111 wickets at 25.77 are impressive, but his strike rate with the bat (25.06) sees him notch six half-centuries, including three in his past six innings.
He also has a handy ability to clear fences, evidenced by the fifty he scored off just 28 balls against South Africa, as well as his power-hitting exploits in the IPL.
The combination of batting and bowling makes him a handy all-rounder, rather than just a part-time bowler who happens to be able to bat.
Why does this matter?
Australia’s famed pace bowling trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will eventually retire, and in the meantime, their injury prone replacements will need encouragement to continue.
A handy lower-order hitter who can bowl long spells is a rarity in modern Test cricket, and someone who can fill that role is always going to be popular with selectors.
Queensland’s other pace bowlers
Callum Vidler is working his way back into form after a stress fracture to his lower back and will initially be limited to around 10-12 overs in the Sheffield Shield, playing in the Grade system first before pushing for a place in the One-Day Cup match against South Australia.
Western Australia will not be pushovers, with Jhye Richardson in their attack, while Aaron Hardie is captain.
Many players will be looking to the national selectors over the next month, which means the match is likely to serve as an audition.
What next?
There are three Shield matches before the first ODI against England in mid-November, which would be ideal for Bartlett to prove his mettle with a view to the Ashes.
But he has some competition for the place, with Sean Abbott, Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser all in the mix.
Final thoughts
Bartlett has the talent, opportunity and desire to take up the mantle of Australia’s pace bowling future. What he needs now are runs, wickets and long overs.
Do you reckon Xavier Bartlett has what it takes to fill the baggy green?
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