James Pattinson Eye Ashes 2021 As 'One Last Crack' To Play Test Cricket Again For Australia

Senior Australia pacer James Pattinson is looking forward to the home Ashes against England as his “one last crack” to add to his 21 Tests tally which he has accumulated after making his debut in 2011.

James Pattinson has had to deal with a career that has largely suffered from injuries. However, whenever he has turned up for Australia in the whites, more often than not he has delivered. In those 21 Tests, the speedster has taken 81 wickets at 26.33, in all conditions.

He was part of the 2019 Australia side which retained the urn in England. However, he has played just 4 Tests in the last two years – Pattinson was part of Australia’s squad for the India series but didn’t play a single game as Tim Paine retained the trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins for all four Tests.

“This year, if I’m being honest, it’s probably one of my last cracks at it. I’m going to try and play in the Ashes and see how I go,” James Pattinson told cricket.com.au.

He said he would be looking “somewhere” else if things don’t work out this winter for his Test career.

“This year is a big one for me, if I can crack in and try and get an opportunity at Test level. Then if not, then I probably wouldn’t mind just looking to try and enjoy my cricket somewhere towards the back-end of my career.

“I’m going into it pretty relaxed and trying to say, ‘You’re having one last crack at trying to play Test cricket and get a good run at it’. I’d just like to play consistent cricket, wherever that might be,” he added.

I think we’ve probably learned a bit from last year: James Pattinson

One of the key reasons for Australia’s loss at the Gabba to India was the tiredness of their pacers. The trio had turned up in all four Tests and seemed weary on the final day in Brisbane when Rishabh Pant helped India register history.

James Pattison, who has also played for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2020, stated that the Australian management must have learned from that, and they are likely to rotate the pace attack in the 5-Test series against England.

“I think we probably saw last year (against India), the bowlers got a bit tired towards the back end of the series. So I think they’ll manage it really well and I think they’ve probably learned a bit from last year as well.

“Hopefully we can all get a crack and work together as a team and at the end of the summer, you want to be lifting up that Ashes trophy and celebrating as a team,” the 31-year-old added.

The first Ashes Test is slated for Brisbane on December 8, followed by Tests in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth.

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