A pink-ball bowl off looms at the WACA Ground with Australia’s fast bowlers to push their cases for selection at a training session under lights
Australia will unleash a pink-ball pace barrage on India at the WACA Ground this week, but the exact make-up of that new-ball attack remains to be seen with a trio of quicks pushing for selection.
The Australian squad will have their first training session in Perth on Wednesday evening under lights, where Darcie Brown, Lucy Hamilton and Maitlan Brown will be out to impress selectors.
Express right-arm fast bowler Darcie Brown ran riot against South Africa last time Australia played Test cricket at the WACA Ground in 2024.
Given she has considerable experience in the format – with the scarcity of women’s Tests, her five-match career falls into that category – barring a last-minute setback she will be a frontrunner to feature against India.
Kim Garth’s series-ending quad injury meanwhile has created a second vacancy in the pace attack, with teenage left-armer Hamilton considered the more likely selection, given she was initially named in Australia’s Test squad in January and has been working towards this match.
Hamilton debuted in the final ODI in Hobart and while she went wicketless, impressed across her nine-over spell.
Maitlan Brown will be hoping to disrupt selectors’ plans having been a last-minute addition to the Test squad this week in the wake of Garth’s injury.
“There’s still a little bit to play out,” Australia head coach Shelley Nitschke told reporters in Perth on Wednesday morning.
“We’ve got a training session today, and we’ve seen this series anything can happen between now and the game so we certainly haven’t settled on that starting team.
“We’ve got some really exciting options for us.
“Lucy was fantastic I thought the other day, looked right at home out there and it would be amazing for her to be able to make a Test debut over here at the WACA which will suit her.
“So we’ve got some decisions to make – Darcie Brown’s another one as well that has had a really good record and had a great Test match here at the WACA (in 2024) too.
“Maito’s been excellent this year, seeing her play for the Sixers and for New South Wales, she’s bowling quite quick at the moment, and great to see her bowling up front and swinging the ball.
“So she’s had a fantastic year, and certainly deserved her call up into the Test squad.”
The remainder of Australia’s attack appears more straightforward, with Annabel Sutherland and Tahlia McGrath to feature as pace-bowling allrounders, alongside the spin of Ashleigh Gardner and Alana King.
It is unlikely all three of Brown, Brown and Hamilton would play, however Australia could switch up the balance of their XI, given Ellyse Perry will play as a specialist batter if fit.
“The injury that she’s sustained, if she’s going to get back, I think to be able to call on her as a bowler is probably going to be a stretch,” Nitschke said of Perry.
“If she gets herself up, she’ll take her place inside as a pure batter, which we know she’s more than capable of.”
India meanwhile have their own new-ball pace questions to answer after key fast bowler Renuka Thakur was ruled out of the Test.
It is a significant blow for the tourists, given Thakur’s history of success Australia’s top order and ability to find prodigious swing.
A statement from the BCCI issued late on Tuesday evening said, “to better manage her workload, Renuka has been advised rest and will be unavailable for selection”. Uncapped quick Kashvee Gautam has been added to their squad and looms as a likely selection alongside Kranti Gaud, who has also yet to make a Test debut.
NRMA Insurance Australia v India Multi-Format Series
Australia lead the multi-format series 8-4
February 15: First T20: India won by 21 runs (DLS)
February 19: Second T20: Australia won by 19 runs
February 21: Third T20: India won by 17 runs
February 24: First ODI: Australia won by six wickets
February 27: Second ODI: Australia won by five wickets
March 1: Third ODI: Australia won by 185 runs
Australia Test squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Maitlan Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Lucy Hamilton, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Rachel Trenaman, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
India Test squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Kashvee Gautam, Sneh Rana, Amanjot Kaur, Uma Chetry, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare
March 6-9: Test match, WACA Ground, 4:20pm AEDT (D/N)
