Australia are seeking extra air speed to deepen their pace arsenal in the build towards next year’s ODI World Cup as they plan for a ‘worst case scenario’ where they may need reinforcements beyond their ‘Big Three’ quicks to help defend their title.
Captain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood played all 11 matches, and Mitchell Starc 10, as Australia upset home favourites India to lift the 50-over trophy in Ahmedabad three years ago.
While the Australian hierarchy are backing the ageing star trio to make it to the next ODI World Cup in southern Africa in late 2027, the tournament comes at the end of a hectic red-ball schedule that remains the primary focus for the multi-format pacemen.
Australia will play 20 Tests (21 if they make the World Test Championship final) during a 12-month stretch from August this year, which includes home matches against Bangladesh, New Zealand and the 150th anniversary match at the MCG, as well as trips to South Africa, India and England.
Alongside opening batters Travis Head and Mitch Marsh, Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood sat out consecutive 1-2 ODI series losses to Pakistan and Bangladesh earlier this month as Australia got another glimpse into life after their Big Three.
Coach Andrew McDonald insists there was improvement across the subcontinent tour despite the scoreline, with each country throwing up vastly different challenges.
In Pakistan it “spun square”, while in Bangladesh they were greeted with seaming pitches that saw Australia lose 2-2 and 3-0 against the new ball in the first two ODIs.
McDonald pointed to how Australia’s batters shut out Pakistan spinner Arafat Minhas in the third ODI after he’d taken seven wickets at 8.43 in the first two matches as one of those key lessons, while stand-in captain Josh Inglis and Cooper Connolly negated the new ball threat in the final match in Bangladesh by taking 40 runs from the first four overs of an ultimately successful run chase that saw them avoid a series whitewash.
He said 22-year-old Connolly and 19-year-old Oliver Peake also provided a “lens to the future” with their 64-run partnership that took the side to the cusp of victory in that final match.
“The lessons for us, as a youngish group – and youngish being a term used for players that haven’t been there a whole lot to the subcontinent – would be that if you give an inch in those conditions, they’ll take a mile,” McDonald told cricket.com.au.
“We weren’t able to shut out games at the right time; that’s probably the disappointing part. Were we good enough? Yes, we were – we got ourselves into really strong positions at certain times, but just handed it back over, and once we handed it back over to the opponent, they got it on their terms, and we weren’t able to get back into the game.”
While Australia’s middle order is understandably going through seismic change following the ODI retirements of Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell following the 2023 World Cup, McDonald also hinted to a shift in the make-up of their pace attack to put more emphasis on ball speed.
Tasmanian speedsters Riley Meredith and Billy Stanlake earned their first ODI caps in five and seven years respectively, while left-armer Spencer Johnson is well and truly in the mix for next year’s World Cup despite only being available for the T20 leg of the Bangladesh tour following a year out of the game with a back stress fracture.
“That would be in a world without a lot of our Test bowlers being there,” McDonald clarified. “That’s the positive from that series is building out our pace depth.”
While the opportunity remains for seam bowlers like Xavier Bartlett and limited-overs specialist Nathan Ellis, the latter who has added new ball potency to his supreme death skills to claim a team-leading 10 wickets on the six-ODI tour, Australia’s medium-pacers were found out on the flatter pitches in the Bangladesh capital.
Nahid Rana’s rapid spell that yielded 4-41 and relentless pace above 145kph contrasted significantly with debutant Liam Scott’s eight overs that cost 57 runs in the first ODI, while Shoriful Islam produced a breathtaking six-wicket haul in the third ODI that almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat after Australia’s own left-armer Ben Dwarshuis went at almost sevens for his 1-55 from eight overs.
“We’re looking for probably a little bit more impact, a little bit more air speed,” McDonald said. “That’s probably our challenge for the middle overs in among the spin overs is how can we impact with the ball?”
Indeed, Australia’s pace strike rate in men’s ODIs between overs 11-40 has been the highest (50.48) of all 12 full-member teams since the 2023 World Cup – almost 20 balls more per wicket on average than category leaders New Zealand (30.86).
A key takeaway from Australia’s 28 ODIs since, where Hazelwood (11 matches), Starc (9) and Cummins (2) have barely featured, has been more support is needed for leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who has done the bulk of the heavy lifting in the middle overs with 23 wickets – more than triple that of Ellis on nine, who is the Aussies’ next best in that period from overs 11-40.
“There is an opportunity there (for new-ball bowlers) at the front end, but what happens when the wicket gets slightly flatter?” McDonald posed. “Do you become vulnerable through the middle overs? Is air speed your friend there? There’s a slight shift in terms of the players that we have selected with that lens on it.
“We’ve got a really good opportunity come Zimbabwe and South Africa (two three-match ODI series in September) to see what all that looks like, to see how it fits in those countries 12 months before the World Cup takes place.
“We feel like South Africa is … probably has the greatest connection to Australian conditions in terms of how most of the wickets profile. Some of the wickets don’t profile similar to here, but with most you would say there is a connection in Australia to the surfaces in South Africa.”
As it stands, Australia have nine 50-over internationals remaining in their Test-heavy schedule prior to next year’s World Cup co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, with those away series against the Chevrons and Proteas followed by three matches at home against England in November.
Qantas Tour of Pakistan & Bangladesh 2026
Australia ODI squad v Pakistan: Josh Inglis (c), Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Riley Meredith, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Matt Short, Billy Stanlake, Adam Zampa
May 30: First ODI, Pakistan won by five wickets
June 2: Second ODI, Australia won by 41 runs
June 4: Third ODI, Pakistan won by four wickets
Australia ODI squad v Bangladesh: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Adam Zampa
June 9: First ODI: Bangladesh won by 86 runs (DLS Method)
June 11: Second ODI: Bangladesh won by five wickets (DLS Method)
June 14: Third ODI: Australia won by one wicket
Australia T20I squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Nikhil Chaudhary, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Adam Zampa
June 17: First T20I: Australia won by four wickets
June 19: Second T20I: Australia won by seven runs
June 21: Third T20I: Australia won by seven wickets
