Australia are on track to go through a summer with an unchanged Test bowling attack for the first time in a decade, with the quicks unlikely to be rested against West Indies.
Australia’s bowlers emerged from the Sydney Test with a clean bill of health after they helped to wrap up the 3-0 series win over Pakistan and give David Warner a fitting farewell.
The current quartet have never gone through a home summer together unchanged, with Australia having done so most recently in the 2013-14 Ashes.
Mitchell Johnson was the man to rattle through England that summer, with Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris and Nathan Lyon also playing five Tests each.
There was initially a thought that a series against the battling West Indies could allow players to be rested this summer, with a two-match tour of New Zealand looming.
But the fact Australia only bowled an average of 65 overs in each innings against Pakistan has allayed that need, with all Tests over in four days.
“In the background, we plan for five-day Test matches,” coach Andrew McDonald said.
“If we were to go five days, that’s going to put immense stresses and strain on the bowling unit.
“In the first Test in Perth where it was a shortened second innings,, that gives you the flexibility to be able to then push them a little bit harder throughout the Pakistan series.
“We want to pick the best Test team that we can at any particular time.
“So it’s just striking that balance in how many games they can play without compromising their long-term futures.”
Lyon bowled the most overs for Australia against Pakistan, sending down 104 in the three-Test series.
Quicks Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc bowled 89, 84.2 and 83.2 overs respectively.
All-rounder Cameron Green’s potential return to the team as opener or in the middle order could also help the issue, given he and Mitch Marsh would give Australia five genuine pace bowlers.
The fitness of the bowling pack is also giving McDonald hope, despite the quartet’s ages ranging between 30 and 36.
“They’ve probably got better across the series,” McDonald said.
“In particular Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins and Mitch Starc. I think (Starc’s) ball speed in this game was at its highest.
“So there’s nothing to indicate that they’ll need a rest.
“We’ve got a little bit of a gap to the first West Indies Test match. So I could see pretty much an unchanged bowling lineup for Adelaide.”
Also working in Australia’s favour is that there is close to a month between the second Test against West Indies at the Gabba and the series opener against New Zealand in Wellington.
If the four front-liners were to play through that series, they would repeat the efforts of Johnson, Harris, Siddle and Lyon who played seven straight Tests between 2013 and 2014.