Australia’s injury worries have deepened ahead of the Ashes, with captain Michael Clarke saying he’s no certainty for the first Test and fast bowler James Pattinson conceding he could potentially miss the entire series.
Serious setbacks for two star players is not what Australia need with less than 50 days until the return series starts against England at the Gabba on November 21.
Australia are fighting to turn the tables and avoid a fourth straight series loss to England, something which hasn’t occurred since the 1800s.
It was not a shock that Clarke was ruled out of the upcoming limited overs tour of India as a result of his ongoing back complications.
However, what’s more sobering is the skipper’s uncertainty over when he might be able to return.
“Where I sit right now is I don’t know when I’ll be back playing cricket,” Clarke said on Thursday.
“We have no idea how long it’s going to take.
“There’s certainly no guarantee (for the first Test) at this stage. It’s hard for me to say that because I’m trying my best not to look at it like that.
“I’m always positive and if they ask me, I’ll say I’ll be fit in a week’s time. But you ask Alex (Kountouris, team physio) who knows me very well, and he’d say there’d be doubt I won’t be right.”
With Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins gone from the Ashes and Jackson Bird also under a cloud, Australia’s fast bowling stocks are set to be tested even further with Pattinson’s return date up in the air.
When 23-year-old Pattinson broke down after the Lord’s Test in July, officials were hoping he’d recover from the stress fractures in his back in time for the first Test in Brisbane.
However, Pattinson says that’s out of the question, and the best case scenario would be a return for the third Test at the WACA in December.
Having suffered repeated setbacks throughout his career, the boom Victorian says he won’t be taking any risks with a tour of South Africa and a Twenty20 World Cup on the horizon in 2014.
“I won’t be back for the first Test. I don’t think I’ll be right for the second,” Pattinson said.
“But all things going well I could push for that WACA Test.
“I’ll know more when I start bowling. I’m probably rushing a bit if I’m trying to get back for that first Test.
“The last thing I want is for that to happen again and push my body too far.”
Pattinson isn’t yet running, but will get a scan in two weeks.
If that comes back positive he could be bowling again in a month from now.
Coach Darren Lehmann won’t travel with the team to India, with Steve Rixon taking the reins.
Lehmann will keep a close eye on the domestic scene and try not to worry about Clarke’s back.
“I hope he improves his back pretty quickly,” Lehmann said.
“But it’s a long way off so hopefully with all the medicos behind him getting it right he should be right.
“But only time will tell. I can’t worry about that, what I can worry about is making sure all the other players are ready to go as well … getting the right side for the first Test match.”
