Fresh, upbeat Australian pace trio available for full summer, says Andrew McDonald

The most lethal pace bowling trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Australia captain Pat Cummins is fresh, upbeat and available for the upcoming remaining summer, including two home Tests against West Indies, and as many away against New Zealand, head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed.

Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood have played 28 Tests together, but it’s only the second time in their careers that they played five Tests (or more) in a row. In 2023, the trio appeared in the final two Ashes Tests, played the WTC (against India) together and then lined up against Pakistan in the recently concluded Test series, which they won by 3-0.

Despite having a busy last year, where they drew the away Ashes, won the WTC Final and lifted their sixth world ODI title (beating India in the final by six wickets) - where all three played 10 consecutive matches, the trio again came down hard on the visiting Pakistan side. Pat Cummins was the star of the Test series, picking 19 wickets, including three back-to-back five-wicket hauls.

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Meanwhile, ahead of the West Indies series starting with the first Test in Adelaide on January 17, McDonald said the trio will not be rested and will start in the playing XI in the remaining four Tests.

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"There's nothing to indicate they'll need a rest," McDonald said after Australia’s series-winning SCG Test.

"They've got a little bit of a gap to the West Indies Test match. I could see pretty much an unchanged bowling line-up for Adelaide."

“It's probably something we've noticed; they've probably got better across the [Pakistan] series. In particular, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. And Mitch Starc, I think his ball speed in this game was at its highest,” he added.

Cummins lauds support staff, coaches

After capping off a successful year with all major titles under his belt, Aussie captain Pat Cummins said his body felt great and happy with where it’s going in terms of feeling fresh and peaking.

"I felt great, body felt really good," Cummins said. "There are times you bowl well and wickets don't really follow that. Really happy with how it's all going. Felt fresh, and bowled where I wanted to, going through the gears."

Lauding the effort put in by the coaches and the support staff following the 2023 World Cup, where bowlers often return home with soreness, Cummins said,"By the end of the World Cup, bowlers are always carrying a few niggles, I felt a little bit sore and beaten up, but after a few weeks rest, I was a bit surprised how I turned up in Perth, I felt really good."

"After how much cricket we've played to not really have any injuries for our first XI is a credit to the guys but also to the medical staff and coaches and how they've managed us over the last year or two. Couldn't be happier with how it's all panned out,” the captain added.