Jhye Richardson’s name is back on the Test whiteboard, and not before time. The Western Australia quick has ticked off the last of his post-surgery markers and is understood to be under serious consideration for Australia’s squad at the MCG, a year to the week since he went under the knife to sort out a troublesome right shoulder.
With the Ashes already tucked away after the Adelaide win, Pat Cummins is tipped to skip Melbourne – and maybe the rest of the series – to freshen up ahead of a long year. That potential hole in the pace battery opens the door for Richardson, while Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser, both involved earlier in the campaign, wait in the same queue.
Richardson has been on the fringes for a while. He trained with the Test group before the Adelaide match, though he was not officially listed in the squad. Since then the 29-year-old has eased back through club cricket, a Cricket Australia XI hit-out against England Lions, and an Australia A fixture where he sent down 26 overs for five wickets. A brief detour to the Big Bash – he dismissed Colin Munro with his first ball for Perth Scorchers – confirmed the shoulder is behaving.
The selectors must also find a replacement for Nathan Lyon, sidelined by a hamstring strain. Todd Murphy remains the obvious option, but Corey Rocchiccioli’s steady rise in Shield cricket, plus Matt Kuhnemann’s success on the Sri Lanka tour, gives the panel something to chew over.
Richardson’s Test record, three matches for 11 wickets at 22.09, hints at untapped promise. Injuries – shoulder, hamstring, heel – have repeatedly interrupted momentum, yet the pace and skiddy bounce that mark him out remain intact. A fit Richardson would add variety to an attack likely to be led by Mitchell Starc, with Scott Boland desperate for another outing on his home strip.
Cummins, fresh from a match-winning spell in Adelaide, made no secret of his thinking. “We had a pretty aggressive build-up knowing that it’s the Ashes there to be won and we thought that was worth it,” he said. “Now that the series has been won, there might be a sense of job’s done and let’s reassess the risk.” That risk, as he implied, is bowling again so soon after a heavy workload on a shoulder still taped for security.
He did add, laughing, that standing down Starc or Boland is another matter entirely. “Good luck to anyone telling Starcy or even Scotty Boland that they’re going to miss a Boxing Day Test if they’re fully fit.”
Away from the fast-bowling merry-go-round, the batting order could see a tweak. Steven Smith is expected to resume the captaincy in Cummins’ absence, provided the vertigo that affected him in Adelaide has settled. Usman Khawaja, thrown in at the last minute and rewarded with a calm 82, has pressed a decent claim to keep his spot. Josh Inglis, the man he replaced, is the likely casualty unless the selectors value the extra glove-work.
There are, then, several moving parts: Richardson’s readiness, Lyon’s understudy, Smith’s balance, Khawaja’s form. Most of the boxes should be ticked at training in the next 48 hours. If Richardson emerges unscathed and the medics nod, the officially named squad could mirror the one pencilled privately in the coaches’ room.
For now the quick, understated as ever, keeps his focus narrow. He has bowled the overs, hit the speeds and pulled up sound. What he cannot control is the final phone call. Should it arrive, it would cap a neat circle: twelve months out, rehab slog, and a chance to steam in on Boxing Day, shoulder no longer an asterisk.
None of this guarantees a fairy-tale. Melbourne often deals in brutal truths for bowlers returning from long lay-offs. Yet Richardson has earned the right to find out first-hand, and Australia, with the series safe, can afford the calculated punt.
Expect confirmation, one way or another, by Christmas Eve.
