McGrath: Australia will have to manage turnover of Test attack

Glenn McGrath hopes that the incentive of winning an Ashes series outright in England next year will keep the flame burning for Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, but he expects the pace attack to go through a period of transition in the near future.

There are a few new fast bowlers coming through at the moment, including Spencer Johnson, Nathan Ellis, and Xavier Bartlett, who have shown promise in white-ball cricket. However, McGrath believes that the key to success lies in Shield cricket, where players like Nathan McAndrew have impressed.

Shield Success Key to Test-Match Challenges

A lot of it comes back to Shield cricket, I think, said McGrath. State cricket in Australia is quite competitive, and South Australia have won back-to-back titles, with some of their players doing well. There’s going to be opportunities out there, and we’ll see once they get there.

McGrath: ‘Peake has potential but playing for your country is different’

In terms of the future, McGrath has been encouraged by his early sightings of Ollie Peake, who recently became the youngest specialist men’s batter to debut for Australia. McGrath believes that the 19-year-old has the potential to succeed across conditions and may be in contention for next year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India.

Peake has shown glimpses of his potential, scoring 31 off 32 balls in his second innings on a slow surface in Lahore. McGrath observed Peake’s development in subcontinent conditions when he visited the MRF Academy in Chennai and believes that he has huge potential. However, he also notes that playing for your country is a little different, and it will be a true test to see how Peake handles the pressure.

The Australian selectors will be looking at Peake for future tournaments, and McGrath thinks he’s at the top of the list. If he gets the opportunity and plays well, I think he’s got all the attributes, said McGrath.