Fast and Raw: Australia's New Pace, and England's Watchful Eye

The night England last beat Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Optus Stadium pitch was generating bounce like a trampoline. Brendon McCullum later said that batting here is like standing on a trampoline — this pitch can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. The most important thing about this tour of three ODIs and five T20Is across three cities in six days is that with Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood all resting, Australia have a golden opportunity to test a raw 21-year-old quick like Mahli Beardman — and England are keen to see exactly that. Australia have picked Mahli Beardman in both the ODI and T20 squads. Beardman has played one T20 international in January, and his ODI debut is still pending. He is being touted as a future star, but his on-field record is just one T20 match. For Beardman, who plays for Western Australia, this debut is likely to come at his home ground Optus Stadium — where the bounce is his biggest strength. McCullum has described his bowling as 'fast and raw' — meaning there is plenty of pace, but control is not yet developed. The biggest story of this tour is not the scoreline but the selection process. Australia have only one specialist spinner in Zampa, while England have two in Rashid and Dawson. Over an eight-match, three-venue tour, this spin asymmetry could prove far more decisive than the pace narrative. On the other hand, England have made it clear by resting Jofra Archer from the Pakistan tri-series that they are serious about his workload — this is good management, but also an admission that Archer cannot be relied upon across all three formats consistently. McCullum has said this tour's preparation is different from the Ashes preparation. According to him, before the Ashes the team built up loads gradually, while this time players are running on roads and ramping up their workloads quickly. This is a statement about process, not performance. A three-match ODI series cannot be an accurate gauge of any team's World Cup preparation — especially when Australia's three main quicks are out. Optus bounce is a blessing for back-foot players like Travis Head, Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh. Australia's team management also has to decide whether Beardman bowls in the powerplay or the middle overs. If he is given the new ball, it will be the toughest test of his career — at 21, a year before the World Cup. The schedule of the three ODIs is also interesting — matches on November 13, 15 and 18 in three different cities, meaning both teams will have to travel continuously and manage bowlers' workloads match by match. In such a scenario, whether Beardman gets a chance to play all three matches is also a question. The biggest irony of this tour is that while Australia are resting their fast bowlers, England are also resting their most valuable fast bowler Archer — both teams are thinking in the same direction, but not at the same time. For me, the most interesting aspect of this tour is that Beardman's debut is likely to come at his home ground. This is an advantage for him, but also a trap — because home ground bounce can hide his lack of control, and when he plays at venues like Adelaide or Hobart, the real test will come. Dew will be a big factor in day-night matches, especially in Adelaide and Hobart. Optus, Adelaide and Hobart — all three venues have different conditions, and this is what makes this series a learning ground for Beardman. In the end, the question is not how fast Beardman bowls. The question is whether he can control his pace over 10 overs, and whether Australia's middle-over spin deficiency can be covered. A year before the World Cup, this series is not about the trophy but about finding answers to questions.