Maybe it's a case of selective memory but the journey from pitch to treatment table for fast bowlers does seem to be equipped with a revolving door these days, especially in Australia. Of course the pacemen are, and always have been, prone to impact injuries such is the explosive nature of their action. Dennis Lillee's career was almost over before it began yet he learned to bowl at a less fearsome pace, with greater control and he retired as the world's leading Test wicket-taker, and with 882 first-class dismissals under his belt. Brett Lee and Terry Alderman were absent for long periods, as indeed was the somewhat slower Shane Warne. Glenn McGrath had a similar first-class record to Lillee but of course played many more Test matches over a longer period.
McGrath was, of course, part of one of the greatest teams in cricketing history, in an era when physios, dieticians and such like began to form an integral part of the professional squad. As in England, central contracts have reduced intenational cricketers' commitments to their counties or states, supposedly to keep them fresher and off the treatment table. So why does every young Aussie 'quick' fail to play more than a handful of Tests before succumbing to stress fractures, ankle, knee or shoulder problems?
No doubt the ACB doctors could supply the medical details so my question is more rhetorical. However, given that many promising fast bowlers win 'green baggy' call-ups on the basis of barely a dozen first-class matches, some grade cricket and a few Big Bashes, that inexperience would appear to be a potential cause worth exploring. Maybe the selectors have to take a look at themselves, too. With James Pattinson, Pat Cummins, Mitch Johnson, Peter Siddle, Mitch Starc, Trent Copeland, Jackson Bird, Moises Henriques and James Faulkner all having shown great promise, taking plenty of wickets, often at sub-25 averages, why haven't they been given a longer run in the side? Yes, injuries have played a part, yet they have all too often been jettisoned too quickly and therefore have few opportunities to increase strength, stamina and experience to play at the top level. Michael Hogan, now in his 30s and looking an excellent bowler for Glamorgan in T20, actually retired from Aussie cricket to come to Britain on a UK passport to further his career.
The West Indian pace stars of the '70s, '80s and '90s were world-beaters, yet played relentless cricket for their islands, the Windies and, more often than not, English counties. Indeed, Clive Lloyd and the management of those times would recommend young fast men to play for counties or league cricket before they would break into the international side. Courtney Walsh played more than 400 first-class games and took 1800 wickets, more than Lillee and McGrath put together. England looked to Australia's system of a very brief domestic system as a means of emulating the latter's success in Test cricket. They are still pushing to slash the County Championship, a move which thankfully has been resisted.
England did finally attain number one Test status and they remain one of the top nations in all forms of cricket. It was hailed as vindication of the central contract scheme. However, in my mind that owes more to a settled side with very good players and being relatively injury-free than to perceived previous over-playing. Finn and Tremlett have suffered long spells injured in recent years, and Simon Jones has played very little cricket in the past five seasons. Yet the sequence of young Aussies playing and failing physically goes on despite a dearth of top-level appearances. I suspect that the focus on T20 has much to do with it. When used to bowling four overs a day, a few times a week, no wonder the Pattinsons of this world struggle with a 20-over workload.
In the end, I reckon that a successful bowling attack relies on that blend of hard work, raw talent and good coaching. England have succeeded with a number of good individuals and one who has slowly developed into a world-beater, Jimmy Anderson. Ten to twenty years ago, the Aussies boasted a fabulous batting line-up along with not one but three or four special bowlers, McGrath, Kasprowicz, Lee and Gillespie alongside Mr Warne. Were they better because they were fitter, rested more often, pre-T20 era or none of the above? I'm not sure, but on paper Australia is blessed with another squad of excellent fast bowlers capable of emulating the aforementioned superstars. It's now down to the coaches, selectors and the players themselves to resist the temptation to concentrate on T20 riches and get themselves in the right physical and mental conditions to prosper at Test level. They might even get to win a few Ashes Tests in the next twelve months! Mind you, to achieve that, they need to focus on the batsmen, too....
